Abstract
This paper reports the results of two experiments exploring the impact of exposure to environmental art on environmental beliefs, using images of plastic bag pollution in oceans. Even though the experimental design investigates only the immediate impact of a brief exposure to artistic images, the design controls well for other factors that might influence changes in environmental beliefs.
Highlights
This paper reports the results of two experiments exploring the impact of exposure to environmental art on environmental beliefs, using images of plastic bag pollution in oceans
Beyond the main research question of whether environmental art has effects on beliefs, the study investigates whether expected behavior is affected, whether it is art or the information conveyed along with the art that matters, whether other factors influence the effect of exposure to the artwork, and what personal characteristics are associated with proenvironmental behaviors with respect to plastic bags as well as pro-environmental beliefs
While the first experiment compared subjects who saw art plus text with those who saw only text, the second experiment compared subjects who saw art plus text with those who saw only an image. This experiment used an underwater photograph by Rich Carey of plastic bags and other detritus floating in the ocean, supplemented with the same text as used in the first experiment
Summary
The experiments reported on in this paper were informed by theoretical and conceptual frameworks from environmental sociology and psychology. As stated by Blasch and Turner (2015), the only previous study that used experiments to investigate the impact of environmental art, “[t]he arts can seemingly create both internal and external influences on behavior, by informing people about the consequences of their choices and actions, developing empathy for the natural environment, creating or enhancing moral imperatives, indicating social norms and expectations, and affecting policies and regulations.”. The experiments reported on here focus on two potential pathways for art to affect environmental beliefs and behaviors: providing information (Curtis’ cognitive interest development) and provoking emotional indignation about threats to the environment (in particular, plastic bag pollution in oceans). Some researchers use all 15 questions to create a scale while others use a subset of questions; some use the overall scale and some use subscales or individual questions separately
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