Effects of Visual Perception, Attention, and Cultural Aspects on the Evolution of Plant Blindness
Plant blindness; plant awareness disparity; non-formal education; science museums; flora of Rio Grande do Norte; non-formal educational setting
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Plants play a fundamental role in sustaining life on Earth; however, humans often struggle to perceive their presence and importance in the environment—a phenomenon known as "plant blindness" or, more recently, "plant imperception" or "disparity in plant awareness." This phenomenon has been linked to physiological factors related to human visual processing, as well as to cultural and educational influences that prioritize attention toward animals over plant organisms. Concurrently, theories such as biophilia suggest an innate human affinity for nature, highlighting a complex and seemingly paradoxical relationship with plants. In this context, the present thesis is structured into three chapters with the following objectives: (1) to review the literature on the biophilia-phytophilia hypothesis—results of which indicate that biophilia does not manifest uniformly across all components of nature, with evidence showing lower affinity for plants compared to animals, a factor that may contribute to understanding plant blindness; and (2) to test the influence of cultural aspects—specifically through a museum exhibition on the flora of Rio Grande do Norte—on the botanical knowledge and plant perception of high school students. The study is being conducted at the Museum of Morphological Sciences at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, featuring the exhibition "Flora of Rio Grande do Norte: Colors and Perspectives" (*Flora do Rio Grande do Norte: cores e olhares*), which comprises photographs, live specimens, and various botanical materials. Key outcomes of this chapter include the setup of the exhibition and the design and administration of structured questionnaires—conducted before and after guided tours—targeting an audience of approximately 200 students aged 14 to 17. To date, 42 questionnaires have been administered. The study evaluates knowledge regarding plant morphology, pollination, regional flora, Caatinga vegetation, the ecological importance of plants, and attitudes toward the plant world. The data are currently undergoing tabulation and statistical analysis—using descriptive and inferential procedures—to assess potential changes associated with the educational intervention. (3) In Chapter 3, which is still under development, the hypothesis that memory processes influence the perception of plants will be tested. To this end, experiments involving free recall and recognition tasks—using images of plants, fungi, objects, and animals—will be conducted to investigate potential differences in the storage and retrieval of this information. The results are expected to contribute to an understanding of the cognitive mechanisms associated with plant blindness and the lower salience attributed to plant organisms. |