Pictures, like words, can mold opinions. Psychology student Benjamin Krochman has \u201calways had a soft spot for marine animals,\u201d thanks to photo-filled library books that introduced him to the wonders of sharks and whales as a child.<\/p>\n
Now, he is researching whether cartoon art can help science communicators make a case for protecting oft-misunderstood sea creatures.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thinking about how narrative influences the way we root for these animals,\u201d said Krochman, a fourth-year transfer student at Cal State Long Beach.<\/p>\n
CSULB student Benjamin Krochman is a psychology major with a lifelong interest in marine life.<\/p>\n
Krochman is leading a new phase of CSULB research uniting the Stress & Technology Applied Research (STAR) Lab<\/a> and CSULB Shark Lab<\/a>. Researchers have learned that people who appreciate the cognitive abilities of sharks and stingrays are more likely to favor conservation.<\/p>\n Now, Krochman wants to learn if cartoon-like shark mascots can improve the creatures\u2019 public image. Bears, for example, already benefit from good PR. Apex predators in the forest, they can also appear in the guise of Paddington and other friendly characters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that you would not want to get into an altercation with a bear, but we have in our culture the idea of a teddy bear,\u201d Krochman said.<\/p>\n Elbee has represented The Beach and its students since 2020.<\/p>\n Meeting in a controlled environment, Krochman shows volunteers photos of sharks, as well as cartoon versions like The Beach\u2019s own mascot \u2013 Elbee<\/a>. He adds another dimension by providing some participants with data showing sharks do not pose much danger to humans. Others see an exaggerated risk profile.<\/p>\n Krochman asks all participants if they would donate to shark conservation, support pro-shark policies at the ballot box or want to learn more about the animals. The STAR and Shark labs have a shared goal of helping the public understand that sharks and stingrays are important to coastal ecosystems and worthy of protection. \u00a0<\/p>\n Familiarity breeds respect<\/p>\n Research involving the STAR and Shark labs exists at an intersection between human and animal brains. \u00a0<\/p>\n STAR Lab Director Gabriella Hancock was the lead author of a 2023 paper, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, revealing that when people have high opinions of sharks\u2019 and stingrays\u2019 abilities to make decisions, their enthusiasm for conservation goes up.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more people believe that they had the ability to think, to reason, to feel, the more willing they were to support their conservation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The 2023 paper was the first of its kind to query how perceptions of animals\u2019 cognitive abilities may influence views on conservation. It cites studies showing positive opinions of shark and stingray cognition can be well-founded. Yellow stingrays have exhibited learning abilities in the lab. In the wild, white sharks have been observed avoiding areas where they themselves are at risk from other predators.<\/p>\n CSULB researchers in 2024 published additional research in the same journal. This study showed people who have encountered sharks or stingrays in the ocean would be more likely to enter the water within a day of either animal being seen near the beach.<\/p>\n Outreach strategies<\/p>\n The notion of \u201cswimming with sharks\u201d is a common metaphor for danger, but Shark Lab Director Chris Lowe, also a co-author on research including STAR Lab, said real-life beachgoers are often near the animals without being in much trouble. In all of 2025, the Florida Museum of Natural History\u2019s International Shark Attack File tallied only 105 shark-versus-human bites for the entire planet.<\/p>\n The Shark Lab informs audiences that sharks are not mindless predators. Its Instagram profile has videos about baby sharks\u2019 tendency to migrate to warmer waters <\/a>and sharks\u2019 dietary preferences for fish, squid and marine mammals<\/a> \u2013 not humans.<\/p>\n “We\u2019re constantly referring to the fact that sharks are cognitive. They\u2019re making decisions,\u201d Lowe said. They\u2019re reducing that fear factor and getting people to be a little more open.\u201d<\/p>\n