Positivity and Negativity Biases About Animals Revealed Through Emotions, Attitudes, and Cognitive Salience in a French National Park

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ABSTRACT Human cognition is subject to a plethora of cognitive biases, including positivity and negativity biases, that impact human relationships with non-human life forms but remain largely underexplored. To address this gap, this study introduces an interview-based method to investigate positivity and negativity biases in people’s perceptions of animal species. Conducted in France’s Cevennes National Park, the study comprised 100 interviews to evaluate (i) the cognitive salience of animals via free-listing tasks and (ii) individuals’ attitudes and emotions toward the listed animals. Respondents identified 154 animals, predominantly associating them with positive attitudes and emotions. Interestingly, animals evoking positive emotions displayed greater cognitive salience, while those perceived to be negatively ranked second in salience. These findings, consistent with other studies, underscore the significance of emotions and suggest the presence of both positivity and negativity biases. Reinforcing research on cognitive biases could help conservation practitioners better orient their action and communication with the public.