Bigfoot

    I watched this section of videos with my little sister. She was very interested in the elusive creatures. When we finished this lesson she asked me, "do you believe in them? Because I do." Now, in her mind, she equated these cryptids with other mythical creatures such as unicorns. She had been exposed to such legends through movies and shows for years. However, she had never heard of the Chupacabra, yet she now firmly believed it existed. Why is that?

She is still in elementary school. She hasn't gotten to the point of learning the scientific method or having to question the information that she's given. Children trust adults, parents, teachers, and in today's day and age actors and YouTubers. Everything in early education is given to children at face-value. If a parent answers you question, that's just how it is. If a teacher tells you something, that's just how it is. Anything they are presented with comes with that trust. This results in quick thinking. She doesn't stop to think "why haven't we caught one yet?" or "how is the Jersey Devil that old?" or even "what does (my dad's favorite response to a 'why?' question) 'because science' even mean?"

    She simply accepts that the information given to her by someone who is established in her mind as being older and smarter than her. If they said it, then it must be true. Fast thinking. She relies on heuristics to navigate and understand the world around her. She has no use for slow thinking at this point in her life. So when she sees a video of Bigfoot walking through the forest, or a movie with unicorns, such as the one on the very shirt she is wearing, hiding in the woods that becomes a part of her world. She creates her reality at face value.