Gibson's Direct Theory (Key Theory)

• What is the name of Gibson's theory of perception?

  Gibson’s Direct Theory of Perception
• Why is Gibson's theory called a direct theory?

  It is innate and directly uses sensation and perception
• What does Gibson's theory suggest about the environment and perception?

  The environment provides all information for perception
• How does Gregory's theory differ from Gibson's theory?

  Gregory's theory emphasizes past experiences in perception
• What does direct perception (1st) imply about sensation and perception?

  Sensation and perception are the same thing
• What is optic flow patterns in relation to movement?

  The point we are moving towards stays stationary whilst everything else rushes away.
• How do our eyes inform the brain about movement?

  They detect optic flow patterns (2nd) indicating speed and direction
• What is motion parallax? (3rd)

  A monocular depth cue indicating speed of movement
• How does motion parallax help us perceive speed?

  Closer objects appear to move faster than distant ones
• What is a strength of Gibson's theory regarding real-world application?

  It is based on pilots' experiences from WWII
• What does Gibson's theory suggest about our ability to perceive?

  It is inborn and does not require learning
• What is the influence of nature (4th) according to Gibson's theory?

  Our ability to perceive is inborn – we don’t need to learn it.

  The eyes detect fine changes in light, texture, movement and depth so we can understand distance and depth.
• What is a weakness of Gibson's theory related to visual illusions?

  It struggles to explain why illusions occur
• What does Gibson's theory propose about perception accuracy?

  We will always perceive accurately
• What evidence supports the role of nature in Gibson's theory?

  Infants avoid crawling off a visual cliff
• What does the study by Gibson and Walk suggest about infants?

  They are born with an innate ability to perceive depth