Assess the Contribution of Gibson’s (1979) ‘Ecological Theory’ to Our Understanding of Perception

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Perception is the organisations, interpretation and identification of sensory information which helps us to understand the environment. Perception is how organisms are organised and interpreted to make sense of the environment. All perceptions involve the nervous system which results from stimulation from the sense organs. Gibson’s ecological approach shows that he sees real movement as the most vital part of perception. The ecological view seeks to find the characteristics and organisation of organisms; therefore it is basically looking to find what it is and what it does. This essay will look at the Gibson Ecological theory of perception, along with the constructivist theory (Gregory). There are many debates on whether direct or indirect theories are more highly related to visual perception, this argument will discuss the pros and cons of both theories. Gibson developed the ecological theory in WW2 when he was preparing films for aeroplane pilots. From this he developed the optic flow theory which is one of the three theoretical assumptions on perception. Gibson’s theory of perception is also known as bottom up. Then there is Gregory’s indirect theory of perception. His beliefs were that perception was conceptually driven and you construct your own percept. Gregory’s of percept was that we reacted to a situation due to mood and past experiences. Most of Gregory theories were lab based. Gibson rejects the way that traditional theorists outline their problems. He believed that the direct view that texture alone is enough as it is so well structured and gives us the information as we see it, that it is conceptually driven. Whereas, Gregory believes that things happen and are retrieved through senses and that you bring past experience into the situation. Gregory believed that you derive a percept and his theory is known as top down. Gibson believed that objects

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