Do (We Think That) Plants Have Agency?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Developmental Psychology
• Cross-Cultural Psychology

Background:

• Humans possess a heightened sensitivity to agents in their environment.
• Research indicates an evolved expectation for agents, but the boundaries of this category are unclear.
• Entities beyond humans, including animals, plants, natural phenomena, and robots, can be conceptualized as agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on whether humans conceptualize plants as having agency.
• To investigate the extent of cross-cultural and cross-linguistic variation in attributing agency to plants.
• To explore potential universal cognitive biases influencing the perception of plant agency.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on agent perception and plant cognition.
• Analysis of cross-cultural and cross-linguistic data regarding agency attribution.
• Identification of research gaps concerning universal biases in ecological cognition.

Main Results:

• Previous research shows significant cultural and linguistic diversity in attributing agency to plants.
• It remains undetermined if these variations stem from universal cognitive mechanisms.
• The study highlights the need for further research into the cognitive science of ecological perception.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the breadth of the human agent category is crucial for cognitive science.
• Investigating plant agency attribution can reveal fundamental aspects of human ecological cognition.
• Future research should focus on identifying universal cognitive biases in perceiving agency in non-human entities like plants.