An Ecological Approach to Perceptual Learning and DevelopmentThe essential nature of learning is primarily thought of as a verbal process or function, but this notion conveys that pre-linguistic infants do not learn. Far from being "blank slates" that passively absorb environmental stimuli, infants are active learners who perceptually engage their environments and extract information from them before language is available. The ecological approach to perceiving-defined as "a theory about perceiving by active creatures who look and listen and move around"-was spearheaded by Eleanor and James Gibson in the 1950s and culminated in James Gibson's last book in 1979. Until now, no comprehensive theoretical statement of ecological development has been published since Eleanor Gibson's Principles of Perceptual Learning and Development (1969). In An Ecological Approach to Perceptual Learning and Development, distinguished experimental psychologists Eleanor J. Gibson and Anne D. Pick provide a unique theoretical framework for the ecological approach to understanding perceptual learning and development. Perception, in accordance with James Gibson's views, entails a reciprocal relationship between a person and his or her environment: The environment provides resources and opportunities for the person, and the person gets information from and acts on the environment. The concept of affordance is central to this idea; the person acts on what the environment affords, as it is appropriate. This extraordinary volume covers the development of perception in detail from birth through toddlerhood, beginning with the development of communication, going on to perceiving and acting on objects, and then to locomotion. It is more than a presentation of facts about perception as it develops. It outlines the ecological approach and shows how it underlies "higher" cognitive processes, such as concept formation, as well as discovery of the basic affordances of the environment. This impressive work should serve as the capstone for Eleanor J. Gibson's distinguished career as a developmental and experimental psychologist. |
Contents
3 | |
2 An Ecological Approach to Perceptual Development | 14 |
Tasks Methods and Motivation | 26 |
4 Development and Learning in Infancy | 45 |
Communication | 52 |
Interaction with Objects | 75 |
Locomotion and the Spatial Layout | 103 |
Facts and Theory | 134 |
9 Hallmarks of Human Behavior | 159 |
10 The Role of Perception in Development beyond Infancy | 177 |
203 | |
227 | |
Other editions - View all
An Ecological Approach to Perceptual Learning and Development Eleanor Jack Gibson,Anne D. Pick Limited preview - 2000 |
An Ecological Approach to Perceptual Learning and Development Eleanor Jack Gibson,Anne D. Pick Limited preview - 2003 |
An Ecological Approach to Perceptual Learning and Development Eleanor J. Gibson,Anne D. Pick Limited preview - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
achieved action systems adult affective expressions affordance animacy animals array babies baby's begin behavior causal classical conditioning cognitive concept crawling demonstrated detect developmental Developmental Psychology differentiation discrimination dishabituation display E.J. Gibson early environment example experiment experimenter exploration exploratory activity face fants flexibility function fundamental frequency gaze gestures goal group of infants habituation hand haptic human infants infant-directed speech infants learn interaction interaural time differences invariant ject kicking layout legs locomotion looked longer means Meltzoff ment mobile months of age mothers mouth movement multimodal newborns observational learning observed occluded optical optical flow pattern perceived perceptual development perceptual learning perceptual systems performed posture preferential looking presented properties proprioceptive provides psychology reaching referred relation rigid motion role rotation skill sound specifying Spelke spoon surface task theory tion tool visual attention visual perception vocal walkers walking young infants