Abstract

PARAMO, Pablo  and  GALVIS, Carlos Julio. Conceptualizations about animals in children from the majority society and Uitoto Colombian native community. Folios [online]. 2010, n.32, pp.111-124. ISSN 0123-4870.

This study was oriented to identify the bonds that children from different cultural contexts and regions from the majority Colombian society and an indigenous community from the Colombian Amazon develop toward animals through their personal constructs. Children form the majority society differ from the indigenous children in that the first group follow a conceptual structure based on ecological-scientific criteria while the indigenous sample follow their experiences with animals. There are also differences in the number of animals that girls are afraid of in comparison to boys in the first group. Children from Uitoto community were able to differentiate foreign animals easily than the first group of participants. Findings are discussed from the Biophilia hypothesis Recommendations are given about the importance of designing environmental education programs that incorporate the knowledge and protection of fauna from the ecosystems in which schools are located and some of the experiences of indigenous communities.

Keywords : Personal Construct Theory; Human being-animal relationships; Biophilia Hypothesis; Attitudes toward animals; Indigenous knowledge; Uitoto.

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