This brief essay is a response to a previously-published study conducted by Hand and her colleagues on children's nature-related preferences and biophilia. According to the biophilia hypothesis, humans have an innate tendency to affiliate with other forms of life. Findings from the Hand et al. study indicated that children did not prefer biodiverse areas even when they had access to highly biodiverse spaces. Their preferences were for more managed and less biodiverse greenspaces. These findings, according to Hand and her colleagues, do not conform to the biophilia hypothesis.
The authors of this essay agree with the conclusion of Hand and her colleagues. They believe, however, that the study did not really test the hypothesis, as cultural conditioning may have influenced the children's preferences. The children in the Hand et al. study were 9 – 11 years old and, at this age, may have already been socialized in ways that altered their innate biophilic preferences and behaviors. Other research supports this possibility. Urban residents generally perceive completely manicured greenspaces as better than more natural spaces, with cultural experiences playing a role in shaping these perceptions.
The argument presented in this essay, then, is that the children's preference for their gardens or managed yards instead of more natural places is a reflection of their own cultural experiences versus evidence against the biophilia hypothesis. The authors suggest that further research into how children's innate biophilia might be encouraged could help address the urgent need to conserve biodiversity.
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