Moral and Fearful Affiliations with the Animal World: Children's Conceptions of Bats

Kahn, Peter H.; Saunders, Carol D.; Severson, Rachel L.; Myers, Olin Eugene; Gill, Brian T.

doi:10.2752/175303708x371591

Cited by 31 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…More recent work by Kahn, Saunders, Severson, Myers, and Gill () suggest that children as young as 6 years old can be fearful of nature and still care for nature. In their study, they asked children attending an interactive exhibit on bats at a zoo about their fear of, the care for, and the rights afforded to bats.…”

Section: A Developmental Model Of Environmental Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Making of an Environmental Activist: A Developmental Psychological Perspective

Matsuba

Pratt

2013

New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development

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This chapter reviews the research on environmental exemplars, or activists. General themes that have been identified in the literature include early experiences in nature, the influence of other people and organizations, opportunities for environmental education, environmental self and identity formation, and generativity. With these themes in hand, we construct a developmental model suggesting a possible trajectory toward environmental activism. We also discuss possible implications of these findings with reference to the current state of our planet and what may be done to reverse current trends.

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Section: A Developmental Model Of Environmental Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Making of an Environmental Activist: A Developmental Psychological Perspective

Matsuba

Pratt

2013

New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development

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“…Informal conservation education programs are uncommon in China (personal observation). Evidence from other countries suggests that informal education programs, such as those conducted in zoological arenas, offer educators the opportunity to positively contribute to children's knowledge and conception of nature, animals, and the environment (Braverman & Yates, 1989;Hughes, Packer, & Ballantyne, 2011;Kahn, Saunders, Severson, Myers, & Gill, 2008;Kruse & Card, 2004;Zeppel, 2008). They are offered in unique settings that cannot be replicated in the traditional classroom.…”

Section: Informal Conservation Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of a Summer Camp Program in China on Children's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Toward Animals: A Model for Conservation Education

Bexell

Jarrett

2013

Visitor Studies

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This summative evaluation, conducted in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, studied whether participation in a conservation education camp positively changed 8-12-year-old children's (a) knowledge of how to protect animals, (b) care about animals, (c) propensity for environmental and wildlife stewardship, and (d) compassionate behavior toward animals and nature. Influenced by conservation psychology, social learning theory, empathy and moral development, constructivism, and conservation biology, 5-day overnight camps were conducted at 2 zoological institutions. Activities were designed to help children form bonds with animals and care enough to positively change their behavior toward animals and nature. Mixed methods, using pre-and post-visit surveys, researcher field notes, vignettes, student journals, an end of camp questionnaire, and a camper behavior ethogram, revealed significant increases in knowledge, care, and propensity for action, and an additional theme, empathy. This study identified effective strategies to promote positive behavior toward animals, empathy, and conservation behavior.

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“…For example, work by Kahn and colleagues [Kahn, Saunders, Severson, Myers, & Gill, 2008] demonstrated that children were able to simultaneously express both fear and caring emotions when exposed to bats. Children (as young as 6 years of age) were able to both experience fear as well as to have a positive moral association with the same animal, expressing understanding of that animal's rights Human Development 2014;57:5-25 DOI: 10.1159/000356914 [Kahn et al, 2008]. By demonstrating caring emotions about the bats as distinct from their simultaneous feelings of fear, the children demonstrated an ability to understand a perspective other than their own.…”

Section: Moral Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human-Animal Interaction as a Context for Positive Youth Development: A Relational Developmental Systems Approach to Constructing Human-Animal Interaction Theory and Research

Mueller¹

2014

Human Development

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Human-animal relationships are both ubiquitous and diverse across the life span, and may be especially salient among children and adolescents. Although research into youth involvement in human-animal interaction (HAI) is growing, existing data have not adequately explored the developmental processes associated with HAI. The purpose of this article is to discuss why relational developmental systems models, which explore bidirectional influences between individuals and their contexts, constitute a useful paradigm for addressing the challenges and complexities in research pertaining to human-animal relations, particularly in the study of positive youth development. Recommendations are presented for building the field of youth HAI research through expanding the exploration of animal relationships in ways that may serve to promote trajectories of positive development across childhood and adolescence.

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Moral and Fearful Affiliations with the Animal World: Children's Conceptions of Bats

Cited by 31 publications

References 17 publications

The Making of an Environmental Activist: A Developmental Psychological Perspective

The Making of an Environmental Activist: A Developmental Psychological Perspective

The Effects of a Summer Camp Program in China on Children's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Toward Animals: A Model for Conservation Education

Human-Animal Interaction as a Context for Positive Youth Development: A Relational Developmental Systems Approach to Constructing Human-Animal Interaction Theory and Research

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