From Interpretation to Protection: Is There a Theoretical Basis?

Sam H. Ham

101 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Interpretation Research

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Museums and Cultural Heritage Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management

Abstract

Perhaps the most oft-cited phrase in all the interpretation literature is a sentence written by an anonymous U.S. National Park Service ranger in an obscure administrative manual a half century ago: Through interpretation, understanding; through understanding, appreciation; through appreciation, protection. When Freeman Tilden quoted the manual in Interpreting Our Heritage, little did he know that those few words would evolve into a philosophical orientation around which interpreters all across the globe would soon rally. In this article, Tilden's claim is reexamined in light of contemporary cognitive and social psychology. Does the chain of events Tilden describes really stand up, or is it just a nice, warm, and fuzzy phrase? Is there a substantiated theoretical basis for claiming that “interpretation” can create a kind of “understanding” that would indeed lead people to “protect” the places they visit? According to the weight of evidence from cognitive science, the answer is yes.

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References

1975Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research 2000Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning 1957Interpreting Our Heritage 2005Using the contextual model of learning to understand visitor learning from a science center exhibition 2004Listening in on Museum Conversations

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