Plant psychology: At the roots of cognition | La psicologia vegetale: Alle radici della cognizione

In recent years, there has been a revamping of psychological terminology and theorizing to describe, explain and formulate hypotheses on the evidence that many of the sophisticated behaviors plants exhibit reveal the cognitive competences that are generally attributed to human and some non-human animals. Here, we outline a selection of the experimental studies supporting the idea that plants fit the definition of cognitive agents. Tests of whether their behavior is controlled by a representation of its goal, episodic-like memory, and decision behavior will provide examples. We hope to stimulate the discussion within the psychological community so to move the field towards an integrated study of cognition.