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Citation: 

Ham, Sam H. “Can Interpretation Really Make a Difference? Answers to Four Questions from Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology." In Proceedings of the Interpreting World Heritage Conference, pp. 25-9. Fort Collins, CO: National Association for Interpretation, 2007.

Abstract/Summary: 

Opinions abound regarding the pathways through which interpreters can make a difference in how audiences think, feel and behave with respect to things they interpret. Drawing on theory and a growing body of research in the cognitive and behavioral sciences, this presentation attempts answers to four key questions regarding the ways in which interpreters can purposefully make such differences: Does increasing visitors’ knowledge about something influence their attitudes about it? How much mental effort must audiences give in order for attitudinal impacts to occur? Do visitors’ attitudes toward things predict their behaviors toward those things? And, what can interpreters purposefully do to influence visitor behavior? The paper discusses representative research findings corresponding to each of the four questions and presents a model, based on the TORE™ framework for thematic interpretation, depicting the pathways through which interpreters can make a difference on purpose.

Source/Credit: 
interpretiveguides.org