Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2017 The Bee's Knees or Spines of a Spider: What Makes an 'Insect' Interesting? Nathan James Shipley Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Recommended Citation Shipley, Nathan James, "The Bee's Knees or Spines of a Spider: What Makes an 'Insect' Interesting?" (2017). All Theses. 2674. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2674 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE BEE’S KNEES OR SPINES OF A SPIDER: WHAT MAKES AN “INSECT” INTERESTING? A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management by Nathan James Shipley May 2017 Accepted by: Dr. Robert. D. Bixler, Committee Chair Dr. Dorothy L. Schmalz Dr. Cynthia L. S. Pury ABSTRACT 1Insects and their kin (bugs) are among the most detested and despised creatures on earth. Irrational fears of these mostly harmless organisms often restrict and prevent opportunities for outdoor recreation and leisure. Alternatively, Shipley and Bixler (2016) theorize that direct and positive experiences with bugs during middle childhood may result in fascination with insects leading to comfort in wildland settings. The objective of this research was to examine and identify the novel and unfamiliar bug types that people are more likely to find interesting and visually attend to when spontaneously presented with their images. This research examined these questions through four integrated exploratory studies. The first study (n = 216) found that a majority of adults are unfamiliar with a majority of bugs, despite the abundance of many common but ‘unfamiliar’ bugs. The second (n = 15) and third (n = 308) study examined participant’s first impressions of unfamiliar bugs. The second study consisted of in-depth interviews, while the third study had participants report their perceptions of bugs across multiple emotional dimensions. Together, both studies suggest there are many unfamiliar bugs that are perceptually novel and perceived as interesting when encountered. The fourth study (n = 48) collected metrics of visual attention using eye-tracking by measuring visual fixations while participants viewed different bugs identified through previous studies as either being interesting or disinteresting. The findings of the fourth study suggest that 1 For the purpose of this research, insect and bug will refer to any land invertebrate excluding crustaceans. This includes, but is not limited to; insects, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs, ticks, and pill bugs. This classification is similar to modern folk taxonomic classification systems of what constitutes a bug. ii interesting bugs can capture more visual attention than uninteresting bugs. Results from all four studies provide a heuristic for interpretive naturalists, magazine editors, marketers, public relation advisors, filmmakers, and any other visual communication professional that can be used in the choice of images of unfamiliar images of insects and other small invertebrates to evoke situational interest and motivate subsequent behavior. Keywords: visual attention, eye tracking, bugs, insects, interpretive naturalists, visual communications, interestingness, novelty iii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to my wife, Hannah L. Shipley, for her continued and everlasting support, for believing in me, and for always being by my side. I would also like to dedicate this work to my late grandfather, Clifford B. Tatham, for his words of encouragement and sincere interest and heartfelt investment in my education and research. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work would have not been possible without the countless hours of work and support provided by my mentors, family, and friends. I would first like to thank Dr. Robert Bixler, my committee chair, for his countless hours of assistance and support. I thank Rob not only for the help he has provided for this research, but also for his guidance and mentorship that has forever influenced my research interests and career path. I am happy to call him my advisor and mentor, but also my friend. I would like to thank the other members of my committee, Dorothy Schmalz and Cynthia Purry, for their insight during all phases of this research. I would like to thank my parents, Bill Shipley and Eirene Knott, for their continued support during my education. Lastly, I would like to thank those individuals who have provided assistance during multiple stages of this research, Alex Surcica, Adam Middleton, Sarah Wilcer, Dr. Andrew Duchowski, and Timothy Campbell. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE ...................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... ix CHPATER I. INTORDUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 Background & Problem ............................................................................. 1 Research Purpose & Objectives ................................................................. 7 Research Questions .................................................................................. 10 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................. 12 The Trouble with Bugs: Focus on the most Abhorred? ............................ 12 Interactions with Bugs ............................................................................. 13 New Opportunities with Bugs: Why Focus on Them? ............................ 16 Bugs Made Appealing: Interest and Curiosity ......................................... 18 The Instinctive Bug Impression: The “Buggy” Traits ............................. 19 Attention, First Impressions, and the Adaptive Unconscious .................. 22 Measuring Attention ................................................................................ 23 Measuring Perception .............................................................................. 27 III. METHODS .................................................................................................... 30 Summary of Research Studies ................................................................. 30 Study 1 - Unknown Bugs ......................................................................... 31 Study 2 - Perceptions of Bugs: Interviews ............................................... 39 Study 3 - Perceptions of Bugs: Scales ..................................................... 41 Study 4 - Attentional Traits of Bugs ........................................................ 49 vi Table of Contents (Continued) Page IV. RESULTS ...................................................................................................... 62 Study 1 - Unknown Bugs ......................................................................... 62 Study 2 - Perceptions of Bugs: Interviews ............................................... 73 Study 3 - Perceptions of Bugs: Scales ..................................................... 74 Study 4 - Attentional Traits of Bugs ........................................................ 89 V. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUIONS ........................................................... 98 Discussion of Research Questions ........................................................... 98 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 119 Application ............................................................................................. 120 Study Limitations ................................................................................... 121 Future Research ..................................................................................... 122 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 125 A: 100 Images of Bugs and Other Wildlife ...................................................... 126 B: Study 1 Survey Questions ............................................................................ 137 C: Study 1 Descriptive Data ............................................................................. 142 D: Study 2 Descriptive Data ............................................................................. 144 E: Study 3 Survey Questions ............................................................................ 148 F: Study 3 Descriptive Data ............................................................................. 157 G: Study 4 Informed Consent Letter ................................................................