A SOCIAL COMPASS FOR THE NATURAL WORLD: Fishing Participation Is Driven by Social Influence
Research Advisor: Dr. Carena van Riper
Zoom link: https://go.nres.illinois.edu/JoffeNelson
How humans interact with the natural world bears heavily upon natural resource management and conservation. Declines in outdoor activities like recreational fishing therefore portend looming changes to the common practices of fisheries management. Broadscale trends in fishing participation reflect prevailing norms related to interactions with the environment created at the societal level. However, previous human dimensions of fisheries research has predominantly explored phenomena existing within individuals. I therefore drew from by theories in social psychology to understand and quantify how social influence is manifested in an individual’s behavior. My research shows that fishing can be viewed as a function of personal identity expression formed in response to social influence.
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