Kayla Cranston, PhD

Research Activities

Empathy and Moral Reasoning for Animals and Other Children in Nature Preschool Students
2018-19
PI, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO
Observational methods were designed and interviews conducted to determine the impact of the Saint Louis Zoo’s Nature Preschool on preschoolers’ empathy and moral reasoning for animals and other children.

Fear of and Empathy for Animals, Sense of Place in Urban 2nd Graders
2017-18
PI, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO
Interview methods were designed to determine the impact of the Saint Louis Zoo’s 2nd Grade programming on participating students from Biome Elementary School in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Cognitive Structure of Shoreline Manager Priorities on the Olympic Peninsula
2017
First author, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from a study that explored how shoreline managers’ mental models and priorities changed after an intervention that showed them social data about their constituents. Findings indicate that there is a slight correlation between the shift in shoreline managers’ mental models and priorities after the intervention. This study provides a baseline of metrics and methods to use in future studies of how social information affects managers’ decision-making process.

Learning Interventions for Private Landowners to Restore Watershed Ecosystems
2017
Co-author, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Interpreting data and co-writing discussion about this study, which used semi-structured interviews with private landowners to investigate determinants of support among riparian landowners to cooperate in restoration efforts. Findings indicate different learning interventions influence support for restoration. First, peer-to-peer interactions and relationships can influence land-use decision making. Also, ecological monitoring data and information that increases awareness of the condition of watershed ecosystems can influence support for restoration projects on private property. This study provides insight into how watershed restoration organizations can more effectively work with private landowners through understanding and incorporating these distinctions in landowner outreach and engagement.

Local Engagement in Coastal Management Decision-Making in Oregon
2016-17
Co-PI, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Using interviews, focus groups, and literature review to identify the psychological, socio-economic, and governance-focused wellbeing and motivation metrics related to environmental decision-making across community team members along the coast of Oregon. Working collaboratively with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon Sea Grant to identify community groups. Working directly with community teams on the Oregon coast to co-create metrics that will help monitor their wellbeing and motivation as it relates to future environmental decision-making.

Psychological Determinants of Capacity for Conservation in Practitioners
2012-2016
PI, Antioch University New England, Keene, NH
Comparative study using interviews and surveys to identify universal and population-specific metrics to determine long-term action toward environmental goals in North American and East African practitioners. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to analyze the results. Findings indicate that meaningful ownership, effective autonomy, community need, group efficacy, and understanding all play an important part in the development of long-term capacity in practitioners while meaningful ownership, effective autonomy, and community need are predictive of 35% of variance in long-term capacity behavior. Interesting differences were found across populations. This study provided insight into the psychological underpinnings of capacity building across North American and East African practitioners and highlighted the importance of considering population-specific differences in these dimensions in future cross-cultural capacity-building efforts.