Transcript Document
Psychology, Visitor Studies etc •Visitor studies aim to understand how visitors behave, respond to exhibits etc •Evaluation studies sit within the area of visitor studies, mainly but not solely, museum based – aims to determine the success of exhibits •Audience research aims to describe visitors more accurately •Market research- big overlaps in aims and methodologies – aims to understand how consumers behave Visitor Studies, Psychology, etc •Social Marketing – the use of techniques from marketing for a social good •Social psychology – the study of how the social environment influences the individual •Cognitive psychology – the study of mental processes What do visitors bring? – Expectations, Motivations •None •Non-specific/ general •Visit strategies – focused vs unfocused •Motivations – •pre-existing interest, •learning, •entertainment, •concern for others, On arrival • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: •Safety •Orientation •Physiology Interpretation – the key issue Will they pay attention? Attention – the key issue Any interpretive exhibit MUST: •Grab people’s attention •Sustain it for long enough to deliver its key message/experience The fraction of selection FS = Perceived reward Perceived effort required (After Schramm 1971) Attention deployment - What is a visitor like? •Searching for meaningful experiences, but not likely to be deep or complex •Sensation seeking i.e. responsive to cues which are: •Novel / surprising •Eye catching •Exciting •Threatening / thrilling •i.e. tend to be more responsive to peripheral cues rather than central cues •Avoid effort e.g. will not read in depth •Avoid boredom •Window shopping mode •People oriented (but NB gender differences) Attention - What is a visitor like? • Individual differences in visit style •Browsers •Streakers •Studiers •Child oriented (NB more likely to be exhibit produced characteristics): Memory – the basics Input Short term store Long term store rehearsal coding decisions retrieval Permanent memory Schemas Response output Processing experience Life story Life story Schema Work Relationships Self Definition Leisure Lifetime period General event Specific episode Memory (sensoryperceptual Related to attainment of highly self relevant goals Interpretation – Attitudes & Behaviour •Through interpretation, understanding – through understanding, appreciation – through appreciation, protection •Little or no evidence that enhancing knowledge or altering attitudes changes behaviour •Specific behavioural intentions do predict behaviour •Interpretation might form a useful component of a social marketing programme Interpretation – Some Conclusions •Concrete – sensory/perceptual •Abstract material rapidly decays •Transience •Retention only if direct relationship with existing schema •Insufficient for behaviour change Interpretation – Some Conclusions •Adds value to the visitor experience •Helps people build a meaningful relationship with the resource through •accessibility •enjoyment •Could form a useful component of behaviour change programmes Thank you