Animating Trees of Life: How Animation Influences the Perception of Evolution

Abstract

Cladograms, which depict evolutionary relationships between organisms - are crucial reasoning tools in biology. Yet people’s interpretations of them are influenced by many factors. Gestalt principles of perception, the prevalence of historical icons, a penchant for narrative, and the appeal of embodied space may cause or reinforce continued misunderstandings of evolution. Clinical interviews with students suggest that people’s perceptions of cladograms and subsequent conceptions of evolution are influenced by animation. Implications are in how evolution is taught with visual representations.