| Title |
Use of “Entertainment” Chimpanzees in Commercials Distorts Public Perception Regarding Their Conservation Status
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, October 2011
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0026048 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Kara K. Schroepfer, Alexandra G. Rosati, Tanya Chartrand, Brian Hare |
| Abstract |
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are often used in movies, commercials and print advertisements with the intention of eliciting a humorous response from audiences. The portrayal of chimpanzees in unnatural, human-like situations may have a negative effect on the public's understanding of their endangered status in the wild while making them appear as suitable pets. Alternatively, media content that elicits a positive emotional response toward chimpanzees may increase the public's commitment to chimpanzee conservation. To test these competing hypotheses, participants (n = 165) watched a series of commercials in an experiment framed as a marketing study. Imbedded within the same series of commercials was one of three chimpanzee videos. Participants either watched 1) a chimpanzee conservation commercial, 2) commercials containing "entertainment" chimpanzees or 3) control footage of the natural behavior of wild chimpanzees. Results from a post-viewing questionnaire reveal that participants who watched the conservation message understood that chimpanzees were endangered and unsuitable as pets at higher levels than those viewing the control footage. Meanwhile participants watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees showed a decrease in understanding relative to those watching the control footage. In addition, when participants were given the opportunity to donate part of their earnings from the experiment to a conservation charity, donations were least frequent in the group watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees. Control questions show that participants did not detect the purpose of the study. These results firmly support the hypothesis that use of entertainment chimpanzees in the popular media negatively distorts the public's perception and hinders chimpanzee conservation efforts. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 170 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 27 | 16% |
| United States | 17 | 10% |
| United Kingdom | 7 | 4% |
| Canada | 3 | 2% |
| Germany | 2 | 1% |
| Spain | 2 | 1% |
| Central African Republic | 1 | <1% |
| Comoros | 1 | <1% |
| Nepal | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 5 | 3% |
| Unknown | 104 | 61% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 152 | 89% |
| Scientists | 15 | 9% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 2 | 1% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 129 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| India | 1 | <1% |
| Germany | 1 | <1% |
| Brazil | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 126 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 28 | 22% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 26 | 20% |
| Student > Master | 18 | 14% |
| Researcher | 17 | 13% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 8 | 6% |
| Other | 17 | 13% |
| Unknown | 15 | 12% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 36 | 28% |
| Environmental Science | 20 | 16% |
| Psychology | 19 | 15% |
| Social Sciences | 12 | 9% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 7 | 5% |
| Other | 11 | 9% |
| Unknown | 24 | 19% |