Biases That Limit Observation

It is a wonder how people can go forth on bioblitzes and wander among tens of thousands of organisms and come back with a couple of dozen photos. Why? Some possibilities.

  1. The number of species is overwhelming. Too many to comprehend and awareness shuts down.
  2. Our attention goes to what is beautiful, like colorful flowers.
  3. We see what we know, what we can identify already, what we like and are interested in.

I see these biases in myself.

Publicado el 01 de junio de 2023 a las 01:25 PM por thebark thebark

Comentarios

I especially identify with your third point. Though curious about new, unusual creatures, I am attracted naturally to those I like (bugs n butterflies). If I were to add a point 4 to your list, it would be 'Fear' because if one is fearful of scorpions or snakes, one would not want to get photograph those or keep them in one's collection! Such a bias definitely is a limitation.

Anotado por malamort hace 11 meses

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