Chapter 7: 

The ecological approach to perception

  • We spend most of our time moving
  • Focuses on studying the perception of moving observers instead of focusing on studying the perception of stationary observers
    • Movement causes stationary objects to appear in motion due to the relative change of the observers’ movement through the environment
    • The primary visual cortex has many cells dedicated to movement
    • Why is it that I assume that I am moving and the world isn’t just moving by me?
    • This is called optic flow (provides information on direction and movement) - optic flow is that there is a focal point upon which the world is expanding out of (the focus of expansion)
    • Gradient flow - world expanding and flowing by us
    • The focus of expansion (think of this as a goal location of movement) - the center where you are moving toward
    • Self-produced information (figure 7.3)
      • Learning
      • Someone doing a backflip finds a point to focus on on the ground in order to get a fixation point to have that focus of expansion - helps so they don’t over or under rotate (this is learned)
      • The first time that we can say this is some aspect of how learning is involved

Combination of Senses

  • In an experiment, what we are manipulating is our independent variable and what we are monitoring is our dependent variable - want to control all the other variables that are not relevant
  • Senses work together and modify each other in ways that are absolutely critical
  • Balance
    • When you close your eyes and you are trying to balance, you have no fixation point so it is more difficult (proof of senses working together)
    • Use of the vestibular system
    • Visual inputs - use these to help with balance
    • Swinging room - kids standing on the floor with what looks like a room around them, the walls are not actually touching the floor instead they are hanging
    • Move walls towards the individual, the body assumes that you are moving forward so the instinct of the individual is to sway back a bit to control the center of gravity, this causes the child to fall