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