Work

Affordances as Probabilistic Functions: Implications for Development, Perception, and Decisions for Action

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: We propose a new way to describe affordances for action. Previous characterizations of affordances treat action possibilities as binary categories-either possible or impossible-separated by a critical point. Here, we show that affordances are probabilistic functions, thus accounting for variability in motor performance. By measuring an affordance function, researchers can describe the likelihood of success for every unit of the environment. We demonstrate how to fit an affordance function to performance data using established psychophysical procedures and illustrate how the threshold and variability parameters describe different possibilities for action. Finally, we discuss the implications of probabilistic affordances for development, perception, and decision-making.

Source: Ecological Psychology

DOI: 10.1080/10407413.2014.874923

Authors: John Franchak, Karen Adolph

Institution: New York University

Language: English

Topic: Embodied and Extended Cognition

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Awards: G5996450263, Flexibility of Learning in Infant Skill Acquisition