This book summarizes a range of psychological research into how zoos and aquariums operate in the minds of visitors and the broader public. Bringing together core findings from emerging international research, the book provides data-based summaries that situate the content in the larger context of how cultural institutions shape public understanding. The focus of this book is to bring into a single resource, the major strains of research that have explored how zoos and aquariums are situated in public consciousness, to ground the discourses around what zoos and aquariums do in the empirical data and evidence, and to find opportunities to summarize well-established fact to support future research expanding on the known.

Among the topics discussed:
History of zoo and aquarium developmentThe role of zoos and aquariums in environmental literacyEmpathy development at zoosApplying behavior change theories to the zoo visitor’s experienceSocial radiation of ideas from cultural institutions
Professional practitioners, zoo industry professionals, and business leaders will find this book an invaluable guide to the psychological literature surrounding the zoo industry.

Chapter 1: An Integrated Approach to Museum Learning Research
Chapter 2: Evaluating the AZA Framework for Zoo and Aquarium Social Science Research: A Review and Analysis of Relevant Literature 2011–2019
Chapter 3: Visitors and Conservation: Seeking Behavior
Chapter 4: Understanding the Visitor
Chapter 5: What Is the STEM Learning Ecology and Where Do Zoos and Aquariums Fit in It? Insights from National Studies of the Public’s Engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
Chapter 6: Why We (Still) Do Not Know the Educational Impact of Zoos and Aquariums: Assessing Current Evaluation Methods and Ways to Improve Them
Chapter 7: Zoo and Aquarium Visitors’ Wildlife Values and Ethics Orientations
Chapter 8: Believing Zoos and Aquariums as Conservation Informants
Chapter 9: Visitor Behavior and Talk at Zoos and Aquariums: Tracking Visitor Groups with GoPro Cameras
Chapter 10: Family Talk at Live Animal Exhibits: From Biological to Ecological to Conservation Talk
Chapter 11: The AZA Social Science Research Agenda 2020: How the Social Sciences Can Help People and Wildlife Thrive Together