The mind(the)plant laboratory uses theoretical and experimental studies to investigate the physiological mechanisms and the cognitive science principles underlying behavior and communication in plants. We move away from the classical view that sees plants as something to nurture for the sake of returning other things. We see each plant as an individual organism with a complex sensory apparatus, able to modify its physiology and growth in response to environmental cues effectively.

We start from the idea that there is no reason why the theoretical foundations at the core of animal comparative work should apply only to animals. And if properly adapted to plants these principles could be of great help in identifying both similarities and differences between the animal and the green kingdoms. In this perspective we test whether plant growth follows the expectations of animal behavioural models, leading to the development of the field of plant comparative psychology. So far, we have demonstrated goal directed, anticipatory behavior, and a diversity of other interesting phenomena in the domain of communication. The bottom end is to understand what it means to be a plant, and to better understand how plants live their lives.