Observing Expressions of Empathy by Visitors and Program Audiences: Guide to Creating an Observation Protocol

Building on work originally done to identify observable indicators of empathy for animals by the Measuring Empathy Collaborative Assessment Project (MECAP), this empathy observation guide is a tool for zoos, aquariums, and related organizations interested in observing the variety of empathy-related behaviors their audiences engage in during exhibit visits or facilitated programs. As more organizations have incorporated and expanded their use of effective empathy practices, the list of empathy-indicative behaviors zoo and aquarium professionals have identified and observed for when evaluating programs and exhibits has grown. This tool provides a list of behaviors, categorized by their related overarching empathy-related attitudes, for practitioners to choose from when considering conducting observations of expressions of empathy in their own audiences. Through this tool, the Advancing Conservation through Empathy for Wildlife (ACE for Wildlife) Network hopes to promote cohesion in how empathy-related behaviors are measured and reported while also meeting the need for flexibility that comes with the wide variety of programs, exhibits, settings, audiences, and intended outcomes across the zoo and aquarium field.