Beyond the Lens Model and Direct Perception: Toward a Broader Ecological Psychology

Abstract

Despite sharing the label ecological psychology, Brunswikian and Gibsonian research programs are virtually independent scientific activities conducted by a virtually independent pair of scientific communities. The purpose of this article is to provide a theoretical integration of these 2 lines of work. The lens model and the theory of direct perception can each be viewed as specific versions of a more general research program that distinguishes between distal structure (i.e., "thing") and proximal structure (i.e., "medium") and that is based on the metatheoretical commitment to understanding human behavior by focusing on adaptation to functionally significant environmental regularities. The lens model deals with probabilistic relations between proximal and distal that require judgment and decision making, whereas direct perception deals with direct specification between proximal and distal that permits an intimate coupling with the environment. By showing how these 2 lines of work can be integrated theoretically, a number of important benefits can be obtained, including the furthering of the primary aim of science: the development of more unified and cumulative knowledge.