Young flames: The effects of childhood exposure to fire on adult attitudes.

Abstract

Successful use of fire has been essential to survival throughout the majority of human history-an environmental pressure that may have led to cognitive mechanisms dedicated to attaining mastery of fire manipulation and control. Concordant with this hypothesis is the fact that, despite its inherent danger, the frivolous use of fire remains firmly embedded within modern societies; conversely, in societies where fire is used for utilitarian purposes, ethnographic reports suggest that fire is considered mundane. The exposure hypothesis holds that the attraction to fire in modern societies is due to the lack of adequate exposure to fire throughout childhood. Two studies-comprising North American samples that have had significantly different levels of exposure to fire-investigated the relationship between frequency of exposure to fire throughout childhood and psychological associations with fire. Psychological associations with fire were overwhelmingly positive in both samples. Study 1 found no significant association between childhood fire exposure and positive affective associations with fire. Using a more sophisticated measurement tool and in a more rural sample, Study 2 found that, contrary to the exposure hypothesis, more frequent exposure to fire in childhood was associated with more positive psychological associations with fire. Potential reasons for the discrepancies between these results and earlier ethnographic reports, and their potential implications, are discussed.

Examining the Relationship between Fire Interest and Firesetting: Contributions of Previous Experience with Fire and Self and Emotional Regulation

“…However, the relationship between fire and humankind is not unidirectional. The discovery of fire has delivered humans with warmth and light, a powerful tool to manipulate the natural environment, and the ability to create weapons or protect against threats (Murray et al, 2015). Cooking with fire allowed for improved nutritional intake by enabling the consumption of previously indigestible foods, leading to changes in human physiology such as larger brains and shorter guts (Wrangham, 2009).…”

Examining the Relationship between Fire Interest and Firesetting: Contributions of Previous Experience with Fire and Self and Emotional Regulation

“…In line with this perspective, it is expected that the more positively reinforcing experiences with fire an individual has, the more interested in fire they are likely to be. Furthermore, the social learning theory concept of modelling may explain why the present study and Murray et al (2015) found differing results to those reported by Fessler. Among the pre-industrialised societies observed by Fessler, fire is viewed as mundane and something which exists for practical purposes, whereas in modern Western societies fire is regularly used for entertainment and is often portrayed as exciting in the media.…”

“…Expanding on Fessler's (2006) evolutionary perspective, Murray et al (2015) sought to explore Fessler's theory empirically, hypothesising that more exposure to fire in childhood would be associated with less interest in fire in adulthood. Terming this the "exposure hypothesis", Murray et al (p. 206) conducted two studies to investigate the relationship between childhood fire exposure and adult interest in fire.…”

Understanding Early Fire Learning and Experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…Although Fessler's theory was supported by anecdotal and observational ethnographic evidence, empirical research examining his exposure hypothesis has produced contradictory results. To test Fessler's theory, Murray, Fessler, and Lupfer (2015) conducted two studies, one with a sample of 125 students (18 male, 107 female) at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and the second with 231 students (40 male, 191 female) enrolled in the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Both studies measured fire exposure by asking about the frequency of their exposure to fire before the age of ten and reported the percentage of participants who answered as having seen fire, 'a few times a week or more', 'a few times a month', 'a few times a year', 'a few times during my entire childhood', and 'never'.…”

“…The current theories explaining fire use are limited in scope as they fail to account for the development of complex precipitating psychological factors and experiences with fire and the way the two may predispose an individual to use fire in either a prosocial or antisocial way. It is often recognised that exposure to fire and fire-related education during childhood is likely to influence how one interacts with fire during adulthood (e.g., Block et al, 1976;Fessler, 2006;Murray et al, 2015). Indeed, most theory in the fire use literature relies heavily upon the tenets of social learning theory such as modelling, reinforcement, and the role of witnessing fire use during one's youth.…”