"Umwelt" refers to how an organism senses and experiences their environment (von Uexküll, 1909). Research over the past few decades reveals astonishing abilities in the Umwelts of non-human animals, such as eagles that can spot a mouse from a mile away, fish that can smell the topography of land under the ocean, and bats that use sonar to navigate in pitch-black darkness. For adults, considering how other creatures perceive the world may help us see the world in a new light, appreciate minds other than our own, foster our connection to nature, and engage our curiosity and awe (Yong, 2022).
For children, viewing the world through others' eyes is foundational to character virtues such as compassion, moral concern, and intellectual humility--yet doing so is challenging. Much prior research has focused on enhancing children's ability to take the perspective of other persons. This work confronts a more profound yet salient perspective difference--the Umwelts of other species--with the potential to pique children's curiosity and open them up to new perspectives.
We will conduct a series of 3 experiments with 648 children ages 5-10, to test the consequences of teaching children about the diverse, impressive, and surprising ways that different animals perceive the world. It is hypothesized that learning about animal Umwelts will spark children's imagination, broaden their perspective, inspire wonder, and cultivate humility. Methods will include a novel assessment of children's Umwelt beliefs, and validated measures of awe, intellectual humility, moral concern for animals, and an appreciation for the place of humans in the natural world.
This work will result in 3 peer-reviewed scientific publications and public talks and op-eds to offer novel insights regarding mechanisms to enhance young children's character virtues. It will also provide a test case of how a deeper appreciation of science can inspire children's thinking about their place in the world.
