Naturalizing Perception
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: We believe that one of the most important aspects of Gibson's ecological psychology is his attempted naturalization of perception, that is, his attempt to place perception in the context of evolutionary theory. However, the dominant neo-Gibsonian approach to perception has been criticized for being inconsistent with evolutionary theory. We argue that a central tenet of this approach indeed runs counter to evolutionary considerations. Based on an evolutionary analysis of the use of information, we sketch an alternative development of Gibson's pioneering ideas. A truly naturalistic theory of perception, we argue, should recognize both suboptimalities in perception and variation among the members of a population in what informational variables are used. Like other variable organismal features, the use of information is a function of multiple factors. We will compare this naturalistic ecological approach with both Gibson's own perspective and more recent frameworks.
Source: Theory & Psychology
Authors: Rob Withagen, Anthony Chemero
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
OpenAlex ID: W2111222319