The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception (book)

The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, developed by James J. Gibson, emphasizes that humans perceive their environment directly through visual information without needing complex mental processing. It suggests that our visual system picks up meaningful cues—like textures, edges, and patterns—that inform us about objects, space, and movement. This approach highlights the idea that perception is active and goal-directed, grounded in the real world’s structures, rather than relying solely on internal interpretations or cognitive guesses. Essentially, it views perception as an adaptive process directly tuned to the environment, enabling us to navigate and interact effectively with our surroundings.