![]() The pervasive misunderstanding of evolution as a linear mechanism where humans are most evolved and plants are least evolved, rather than as a complex, non-hierarchical process, may also cultivate plant blindness. In many societies, there is not thought to be a comprehensive understanding among citizens of the complexity behind plants' behaviors, reactions, and movements. In the United States, high school biology textbooks devote only 15% of their content to plants. Zoo-centric education is considered to be one main cause. In societies where plant blindness is prevalent, several cultural mechanisms are considered to contribute to the phenomenon. For example, in certain Indian and indigenous communities, plants are highly valued for their role in religion, medicine, and mythology. Many believe that evidence for this is found in the decreased level of plant blindness in certain communities. Culture Ĭulture has also been shown to play an important role in the establishment of plant blindness in a society. As plants behave very differently than humans, this also suggests that there is an intrinsic component to plant blindness. Additionally, primates have been shown to have a preference for organisms that behave similarly to their own species. As plants do not often fit this criteria, many scientists think the human brain tends not to fully process their visual presence. Thus, research suggests that priority is given to variable colors, movement, and familiar objects in order to most effectively detect threats and potential food sources. ![]() Studies have shown that human visual systems can not effectively process all the information that is seen. The first, human nature, encompasses the idea that human brain chemistry and visual processing systems are inherently biased to ignore plants in the environment. Two main avenues through which Plant Blindness has arisen have been suggested: human nature, and culture. Īccording to the BBC journalist Christine Ro, plant blindness is potentially linked to nature deficit disorder, which she construes is causing what she claims is reduced funding and fewer classes for botany. ![]() The researchers also suggested possible strategies for characterizing and overcoming zoo-centrism. ![]() The study showed that participants were more accurate in detecting animals in images, rather than plants. A US study looked at how plants and animals are perceived using " attentional blink" (the ability to notice one of two rapidly presented images). Scientists have suggested that the reason some people don't notice plants is because plants are stationary and similarly coloured, although other research has suggested that plant blindness is affected by cultural practices. Schussler in their 1999 publication 'Preventing Plant Blindness'. The term was coined by the botanists and biology educators J. Related terms include plant‐neglect, zoo-centrism, and zoo‐chauvinism. This includes such phenomena as not noticing plants in the surrounding environment, not recognizing the importance of plant life to the whole biosphere and to human affairs, a philosophical view of plants as an inferior form of life to animals and/or the inability to appreciate the unique features or aesthetics of plants. Plant blindness is an informally proposed form of cognitive bias, which in its broadest meaning, is a human tendency to ignore plant species. Tweet from Tunisian biologist Sophien Kamoun
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