Ecological psychology

Ecological psychology is a subfield of psychology that studies the relationship between organisms and their environments. It emphasizes the importance of the environment in understanding behavior and mental processes. This perspective is often associated with the work of James J. Gibson, who proposed the concept of affordances to describe the potential actions that an environment offers to an organism.

History

Ecological psychology emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction to the dominant behaviorist and cognitive approaches in psychology. Gibson, a key figure in the development of this field, argued that these approaches overlooked the crucial role of the environment in shaping behavior.

Key Concepts

Affordances

Affordances are opportunities for action that an environment provides to an organism. For example, a chair affords sitting, a door affords opening, and a ball affords throwing. Gibson argued that organisms perceive these affordances directly, without the need for mental representations or cognitive processing.

Direct Perception

Direct perception is a central concept in ecological psychology. It suggests that organisms perceive the world as it is, without the need for internal representations or cognitive processing. This contrasts with the indirect perception view, which suggests that perception is a process of inference based on sensory input.

Ecological Systems Theory

Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory is another important concept in ecological psychology. It proposes that an individual's development is influenced by a system of interrelated and nested environmental systems, ranging from the immediate family to the broader society and culture.

Applications

Ecological psychology has been applied in various fields, including ergonomics, human-computer interaction, education, and environmental psychology. It has also influenced the development of activity theory and situated cognition.

Criticisms

Critics of ecological psychology argue that it overlooks the role of internal mental processes in perception and behavior. They also question the concept of direct perception, suggesting that perception is a complex process that involves both sensory input and cognitive processing.

See Also

• Environmental psychology
• Perception
• Cognitive psychology
• Behaviorism