Butterfly eyespots: Their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes
Research has shown that the mere presence of stimuli that resemble eyes is sufficient to attract attention, elicit aesthetic responses, and can even enhance prosocial behavior. However, it is less clear whether eye-like stimuli could also be used as a tool for nature conservation. Several animal spe...
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2015
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sg-smu-ink.soss_research-43372023-04-12T01:18:28Z Butterfly eyespots: Their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes MANESI, Zoi Van Lange, Paul A. M. Pollet, Thomas V. Research has shown that the mere presence of stimuli that resemble eyes is sufficient to attract attention, elicit aesthetic responses, and can even enhance prosocial behavior. However, it is less clear whether eye-like stimuli could also be used as a tool for nature conservation. Several animal species, including butterflies, develop eye-like markings that are known as eyespots. In the present research, we explored whether the mere display of eyespots on butterfly wings can enhance: (a) liking for a butterfly species, and (b) attitudes and behaviors towards conservation of a butterfly species. Four online experimental studies, involving 613 participants, demonstrated that eyespots significantly increased liking for a butterfly species. Furthermore, eyespots significantly increased positive attitudes towards conservation of a butterfly species (Studies 1, 2 and 4), whereas liking mediated the eyespot effect on conservation attitudes (Study 2). However, we also found some mixed evidence for an association between eyespots and actual conservation behavior (Studies 3 and 4). Overall, these findings suggest that eyespots may increase liking for an animal and sensitize humans to conservation. We discuss possible implications for biodiversity conservation and future research directions. 2015-11-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3080 info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0141433 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4337/viewcontent/journal.pone.0141433_pv.PDF http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Research Collection School of Social Sciences eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Aged Animals Attitude Behavior Butterflies Conservation of Natural Resources Esthetics Eye Applied Behavior Analysis Social Psychology |
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Aged Animals Attitude Behavior Butterflies Conservation of Natural Resources Esthetics Eye Applied Behavior Analysis Social Psychology MANESI, Zoi Van Lange, Paul A. M. Pollet, Thomas V. Butterfly eyespots: Their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes |
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Research has shown that the mere presence of stimuli that resemble eyes is sufficient to attract attention, elicit aesthetic responses, and can even enhance prosocial behavior. However, it is less clear whether eye-like stimuli could also be used as a tool for nature conservation. Several animal species, including butterflies, develop eye-like markings that are known as eyespots. In the present research, we explored whether the mere display of eyespots on butterfly wings can enhance: (a) liking for a butterfly species, and (b) attitudes and behaviors towards conservation of a butterfly species. Four online experimental studies, involving 613 participants, demonstrated that eyespots significantly increased liking for a butterfly species. Furthermore, eyespots significantly increased positive attitudes towards conservation of a butterfly species (Studies 1, 2 and 4), whereas liking mediated the eyespot effect on conservation attitudes (Study 2). However, we also found some mixed evidence for an association between eyespots and actual conservation behavior (Studies 3 and 4). Overall, these findings suggest that eyespots may increase liking for an animal and sensitize humans to conservation. We discuss possible implications for biodiversity conservation and future research directions. |
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MANESI, Zoi Van Lange, Paul A. M. Pollet, Thomas V. |
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MANESI, Zoi Van Lange, Paul A. M. Pollet, Thomas V. |
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MANESI, Zoi |
title |
Butterfly eyespots: Their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes |
title_short |
Butterfly eyespots: Their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes |
title_full |
Butterfly eyespots: Their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes |
title_fullStr |
Butterfly eyespots: Their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Butterfly eyespots: Their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes |
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butterfly eyespots: their potential influence on aesthetic preferences and conservation attitudes |
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Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University |
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2015 |
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https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3080 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4337/viewcontent/journal.pone.0141433_pv.PDF |
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