Exploring the Factors That Influence Zoo Visitors’ Perceptions of the Well-Being of Gorillas: Implications for Zoo Exhibit Interpretation

Modern zoos face increasing pressures to maintain and demonstrate both the physical and psychological well-being of animals in their care. However, the informal judgments that zoo visitors make about animal well-being may be based on criteria that are inappropriate or misleading. In this research, two self-administered questionnaires were used to explore the indicators that zoo visitors use, consciously or unconsciously, to judge the well-being of gorillas in a naturalistic zoo exhibit. One questionnaire was completed by 105 adult visitors as they exited a gorilla exhibit; another questionnaire was completed by a separate sample of 166 adult visitors while they were observing the gorillas in the exhibit. The results demonstrate that visitors are willing to make judgments of animal welfare, are able to articulate the reasons underlying their judgments, use different indicators when judging health and happiness, and are influenced by environmental aspects of the exhibit. Visitors’ assessments of animal well-being were positively related to their emotional connections with the gorillas and their satisfaction with the visit. Suggestions are provided regarding interpretive information that zoos might provide to better inform visitors’ perceptions of animal well-being.     

Community reintegrating former child soldiers in Northern Uganda: A qualitative study on the road to recovery

This study aimed to profile the qualities of a holistic community reintegration program for former child soldiers (FCS) in the Lira region of Northern Uganda. Informants were a convenience sample of 37 FCS (age range 17 to 34, mean age 23.86, SD = 4.715 years; females = 29.73%). FCS completed semi-structured interviews on their current living situations and existing resources. This was aimed at assessing how they were transitioning back into the community and identifying gaps in resources. About 24% of FCS reported feeling unwelcome in their communities, suggesting a need for additional support and resources through the community integration models. Thematic analysis of the data suggests that the FCS would benefit from a holistic community reintegration program with the following qualities: psychosocial support, workforce development training, and job placement. FCS emphasised the need for skills training and employment opportunities over health and wellness; suggesting that mental health support and health care are not sufficient alone for them to successfully reintegrate into the community. FCS community integration policies and practices should prioritise holistic approaches.     

Religion,the Russian Nation and the State: Domestic and International Dimensions: an Introduction

Letters from Moscow: Religion and Human Rights in the USSR fay Father Gleb Yakunin and Lev Regelson, edited by Jane Ellis, co‐published by Keston College, Keston, Kent and H. S. Dakin Company, San Francisco, 1978, vi + 148 pp., £2.25.

Nous Chrétiens de Pologne by Adam Boniecki et al., Editions Cana, Paris, 1979, 167 pp. No price.     

COMPARING TYPES OF COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS FOUND IN FOURTH GRADE READERS

Abstract

This article examines the implications of Dr. Dolores Durkin's recent research on Reading comprehension. The author takes the seminal findings of Dr. Durkin's study and applies these to improving classroom reading instruction.     

Animal Cognition: The next steps

Editorial

Animal Cognition: The next steps     

Raising the Price of Agreement: Public Commitment and the Lowball Compliance Procedure1

Three studies examined the effect on compliance when a requester raises the price of the request. Participants in Experiment 1 were told that they would receive a free coffee mug for donating money to a fundraiser but were interrupted before they could respond and were told that the fundraisers were out of mugs. These participants were less likely to donate money than a group told nothing about the mugs. Experiments 2 and 3 compared this interruption procedure with the lowball procedure, which also uses a small‐to‐large price progression. The results from these two studies indicate that allowing people to respond to the initial price is critical for producing the lowball effect. Without a statement of public commitment, the small‐to‐large price progression led to a decrease rather than an increase in compliance relative to a control group.     

On Humans and Environment: The Role of Consciousness in Environmental Problems

This paper addresses the relationship between humans and nature as it relates to the ability of human societies to solve large-scale environmental problems. We assert that humans are not unique in their relationship with nature; all species have the ability to externalize their being into the world thus creating environmental problems. We also argue that human consciousness and rationality do not provide ready answers to these problems. Unless we better understand the pretheoretical and pragmatic nature of human consciousness, rational/scientific attempts to deal with large-scale environmental problems will fail. We use a framework derived from Schutzian phenomenology to explain how human consciousness both provides the motivation for creating environmental problems and also impedes any real solutions. Thus, we explore a dialectic of human consciousness that has profound implications for discussions about the ability of humans to solve environmental problems. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.