Perceptions of risk from animals in text vs. images: A multiple sorting procedure approach

Social representations of causes of illness can have an impact on prevention and treatment, such as in the case of Lyme disease which is transmitted by ticks. The present research investigated how people conceptualized ticks in relation to other arachnids and insects, and whether presenting ticks in image vs. text would have an impact on their anchoring. A card-sorting task was adopted, its open-ended format allowing the researchers to explore the reasoning behind the sorting of the elements. 25 cards were generated, including ticks, insects, mammals, and other arachnids A pilot study had indicated that ticks were mostly associated with insects, disgust, fear, blood-sucking, and disease. These were represented in both word and image cards, but separately. 12 participants were allocated to one of the two conditions, words vs. images, and completed 3 free and 3 structured sorts, the latter asking them to sort the elements in terms of their dangerousness, their likelihood of transmitting disease, and the emotions they aroused. The results provide a pictorial representation of the extent to which the elements were viewed as similar or as different to each other. The animals’ perceived likelihood to transmit disease was underpinned by their categorization as dirty and as scavenger in the free sorts. The insects and the arachnids perceived as likely to transmit disease were those that feed on human blood and skin. More animals were perceived as likely to transmit disease in the image than in the text condition. In this talk we will reflect on the implications of using text vs. images in relation to risk imagery research