Abstract
Deterioration of cultural resources has become an issue of increasing concern to the National Park Service over the past several years. Damage to the monuments, statues and cannon at Shiloh National Military Park in southwestern Tennessee in one example. Part of the damage is due to weathering and pollution, but much is attributed to the inappropriate behavior of the large number of organized youth groups that hike through the park each year. During twelve autumn weekends of 1985, a field experiment was conducted at Shiloh NMP to determine the effects of three personally delivered messages on the amount of depreciative behavior committed by organized youth groups. The treatment messages were based on depreciative behavior reduction strategies suggested by prosocial behavior theory. They focused on awareness-of-consequences, acceptance of personal responsibility, group identification with management goals, status-confirming behavior based on group image, and external incentives. The three messages were: (1) Awareness-of-Consequences. Groups were told how certain behaviors damaged monuments; (2) Awareness-of Consequences + Resource Protector. In addition to hearing the AC message, groups were asked to participate in a program to protect monuments by recording recent damage and giving written suggestions to the park on how to discourage depreciative behavior; (3) Awareness-of-Consequences + Resource Protector + Incentives. In addition to hearing the AC message, groups were offered incentive awards for completing the resource protector form. Four monuments located along hiking routes were monitored by time-lapse photography. Results indicated that all three treatments were effective in reducing the amount of depreciative behavior committed by hiking groups. In some cases, depreciative activity was eliminated completely. However, treatments were not significantly different from each other in reducing depreciative behavior. In general, the more serious the behavior, the more effective the messages were in reducing it. This study addressed both theoretical and applied issues. However, because the study was limited in scope, caution should be used in applying the results directly to other settings. Further research is needed to adapt the findings to different situations.
Vander Stoep, Gail Ann (1986). The effect of personal communication and group incentives on depreciative behavior by organized youth groups in a national park. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -16377.