Effectiveness of promotion or prevention message frames on food storage messages about black bears
Date
2018
Authors
Young, Heather Alexa, author
Abrams, Katie M., advisor
Anderson, Ashley A., committee member
Solomon, Jennifer N., committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
As conflict between humans and black bears (Ursus americanus) increases, researchers and managers look for strategies to decrease this conflict. One main driver of conflict is the availability of anthropogenic food. Bears are attracted to these food sources, conditioning them to continue to seek anthropogenic food and more frequently visit areas where humans are present. When a bear becomes food-conditioned, bears and people are at higher risk. When humans store food properly in bear-proof storage containers, this risk decreases. However, motivating people to comply with proper food storage can be difficult. We hypothesized that promotion- and prevention-framed messaging placed on storage containers would help motivate behavior change. No statistically significant difference was found between message frames. However, we did find support for constructs from the theory of planned behavior: subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Results also inform future research on message framing and field research in park settings to motivate behavior change in visitors.