James J. Gibson was born on January 27, 1904 and made groundbreaking contributions to psychology during his 75-year life. Primarily working in perception and ecological psychology, Gibson revolutionized the field with his theory of affordances, which emphasized the direct perception of opportunities for action in an environment, rather than mediating internal processes like inferences or algorithms in mind/brain. His ecological approach to perception challenged mainstream views, emphasizing the relationship between an organism and its environment over isolated sensory inputs. Gibson’s influential works, including The Perception of the Visual World (1950) and The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception (1979), reshaped how psychologists and cognitive scientists understand perception and behavior. His legacy extends far beyond psychology, influencing disciplines such as design, robotics, and education. James J. Gibson passed away in 1979.
On the anniversary of his birth, we commemorate Gibson’s life and legacy with a special talk on ecological psychology. You can find the info about the event below!
Platform: Zoom
Date: Tuesday, January 27
Time: 8:00 PM (GMT+3) / 6:00 PM (CET) / 12:00 PM (EST)
Summary:
The status of behaviorism in contemporary psychology is paradoxical: while often portrayed as outdated, it continues to serve as a powerful rhetorical tool used to discredit approaches that diverge from the dominant computational paradigm. A striking example is the frequent dismissal of radical embodied and ecological theories of cognition as mere revivals of behaviorism. Such critiques typically rest on vague comparisons and overlook the diversity within behaviorist traditions. In this talk, we examine ecological psychology in relation to the key strands of behaviorism. We show that although ecological psychology aligns with certain behaviorist principles, it offers distinctive contributions to the study of cognition. Consequently, we argue that rather than rejecting ecological psychology as a modern form of behaviorism, scholars should consider the potential for a productive synthesis.
About Miguel Segundo-Ortin (PhD):
Miguel Segundo-Ortin (PhD) is currently a Ramón y Cajal Research Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the Universidad de Murcia (Spain) and a member of the Minimal Intelligence Lab (MINT Lab). They previously held postdoctoral positions at Utrecht University, working on a project led by Annemarie Kalis, and at the University of Wollongong, in a project led by Daniel D. Hutto. Their research lies in the philosophy of the cognitive science, with a particular focus on ecological (neo-Gibsonian), embodied, and situated approaches to cognition. They are especially interested in developing a neo-Gibsonian framework for comparative cognition and in investigating how socio-cultural norms shape human agency. They are the principal investigator of the project “Transforming Comparative Cognitive Science: Ecological Psychology and Enactivism Beyond Neurocentrism and Anthropocentrism” (22586/JLI/24).
To attend the event, please fill out the registration form. The Zoom link will be sent via email shortly before the event.
