General Issues in the Cognitive Analysis of Plant Learning and Intelligence

Abramson, Charles I.; Calvo, Paco

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-75596-0_3

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Plants perceive and act, and to alternate appropriately between these two modes calls for both the assessment and contextual integration of a number of parameters, and for the capacity to learn. Fortunately, we now know that plants can do both [ 4 , 40 ]. In fact, we have considered, for simplicity's sake, the perception of a single modality (the perception of salt), but salt-avoidance behaviour cannot be assimilated into a response to environmental stimuli on a one-to-one basis.…”

Section: Plant Predictive Processing—or Ways To Avoid Salty Surprisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting green: really radical (plant) predictive processing

Calvo

Friston

2017

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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In this article we account for the way plants respond to salient features of their environment under the free-energy principle for biological systems. Biological self-organization amounts to the minimization of surprise over time. We posit that any self-organizing system must embody a generative model whose predictions ensure that (expected) free energy is minimized through action. Plants respond in a fast, and yet coordinated manner, to environmental contingencies. They pro-actively sample their local environment to elicit information with an adaptive value. Our main thesis is that plant behaviour takes place by way of a process (active inference) that predicts the environmental sources of sensory stimulation. This principle, we argue, endows plants with a form of perception that underwrites purposeful, anticipatory behaviour. The aim of the article is to assess the prospects of a radical predictive processing story that would follow naturally from the free-energy principle for biological systems; an approach that may ultimately bear upon our understanding of life and cognition more broadly.

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Section: Plant Predictive Processing—or Ways To Avoid Salty Surprisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting green: really radical (plant) predictive processing

Calvo

Friston

2017

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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“…There seems to be a "mad dash" for researchers to interpret almost any behavior as cognitive. This occurs despite the fact that there is no generally accepted definition of cognition and no set of independent guidelines for a researcher or student to independently assess whether a behavior is cognitive or not (Abramson, 2013;Abramson & Calvo, 2018;Abramson & Wells, 2018). In our view, this state of affairs is hurting psychology as a science.…”

Section: Aristotelean-thomistic Philosophical Perspectivementioning

confidence: 93%

Aristotelean-Thomistic Approach of Comparative Psychology

Brown¹,

Abramson²

2019

IJCP

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The field of psychology has witnessed an increase in its reliance on empiricism to the point that many researchers operate with a complete disregard for the role of philosophy in their pursuit of knowledge. The resultant segmentation of the field and decline in such important areas as comparative psychology can be attributed to this trend, indicating the need for the role of both philosophical and scientific knowledge to be rightly applied and understood. A return to a proper utilization of philosophy in guiding empirical questions and interpreting results is offered as a means of revitalizing the field of comparative psychology. The philosophical approach of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas is discussed as a means to do so, as it provides a valuable perspective in guiding research and enabling the scientist to interpret results in an integrated and informative manner, whereby the phenotypic comparisons of humans and non-humans can be understood coherently.

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“…In light of the inconsistent results being reported, at the Minimal Intelligence Lab, we currently aim to test independently the capacity for replication of Gagliano et al's (2016) results. Likewise, it is important that we further improve the research designs by taking these experiments out of the lab if we aim to yield ecologically meaningful conclusions (Abramson & Calvo, 2018;Affifi, 2018).…”

Section: Learning and Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Consciousness and cognition in plants

Segundo-Ortin

Calvo

2021

WIRES Cognitive Science

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Unlike animal behavior, behavior in plants is traditionally assumed to be completely determined either genetically or environmentally. Under this assumption, plants are usually considered to be noncognitive organisms. This view nonetheless clashes with a growing body of empirical research that shows that many sophisticated cognitive capabilities traditionally assumed to be exclusive to animals are exhibited by plants too. Yet, if plants can be considered cognitive, even in a minimal sense, can they also be considered conscious? Some authors defend that the quest for plant consciousness is worth pursuing, under the premise that sentience can play a role in facilitating plant's sophisticated behavior. The goal of this article is not to provide a positive argument for plant cognition and consciousness, but to invite a constructive, empirically informed debate about it. After reviewing the empirical literature concerning plant cognition, we introduce the reader to the emerging field of plant neurobiology. Research on plant electrical and chemical signaling can help shed light into the biological bases for plant sentience. To conclude, we shall present a series of approaches to scientifically investigate plant consciousness. In sum, we invite the reader to consider the idea that if consciousness boils down to some form of biological adaptation, we should not exclude a priori the possibility that plants have evolved their own phenomenal experience of the world.

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General Issues in the Cognitive Analysis of Plant Learning and Intelligence

Cited by 13 publications

References 60 publications

Predicting green: really radical (plant) predictive processing

Predicting green: really radical (plant) predictive processing

Aristotelean-Thomistic Approach of Comparative Psychology

Consciousness and cognition in plants

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