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The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems
... Tutkimuksen toisessa osassa (II) analyysin raamina toimii tämän tutkimuksen puitteissa rakentamani vuorovaikutteisuushypoteesi. Rakennan sen tarjouman (Gibson 1966(Gibson , 1979 ja affektin (Spinoza 1677(Spinoza /2002Massumi 1995Massumi , 2002Sedgwick ym. 1995) ...
... Ihmiset havainnoivat luonnon tarjoumia omien lähtökohtiensa ohjaamina, jotka voivat olla biologisia, kulttuurisia, mutta myös henkilökohtaisten elämäntyylien, mieltymysten, kykyjen ja tarpeiden värittämiä. (Gibson 1966(Gibson , 1979Ingold 2011). Ihminen on vuorovaikutuksessa ympäristönsä kanssa aistipohjaisesti (Rodaway 1994). ...
... Biofilianäkökulman mukaan tässä vuorovaikutuksessa ihminen on vuorovaikutuksessa aistiensa kautta muiden eliöiden kanssa nimenomaan biologisena olentona (Kellert ja Wilson 2013). Tarjoumateoriaa (Gibson 1966(Gibson , 1979 soveltaen, ensiksi ihminen havaitsee tarjouman aistimalla ja saa näin informaatiota ympäristöstä, sitten tulkitsee sen luoden merkityksiä henkilökohtaisen kokemusmaailmansa ja ympäröivän kulttuurin kautta (Rodaway 1994). Havaitseminen on siis aistimista, joka luo suhteen ympäristöön ja näyttäytyy siihen liittyvinä tuntemuksina, jotka voivat johtaa ympäristöön kohdistuvaan toimintaan ja päätöksiin (Rodaway 1994). ...
Puut ovat keskeinen osa ihmisten monilajista elinpiiriä: ne tuottavat iloa, auttavat tarkkailemaan luontoa, niiden parissa eletään arkea, niiden menetystä surraan. Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkin monimuotoisia suhteita ihmisten ja heidän lempipuidensa välillä arkisissa ympäristöissä. Tutkimusotteeni on monitieteinen yhdistäen ympäristöekologian, humanistisen ympäristötutkimuksen ja ympäristöpsykologian tutkimusperinteitä ja menetelmiä. Tutkimukseni pääkysymys on, miten puusuhteet muodostuvat ja miten nämä suhteet ilmenevät käytännössä esimerkiksi toimintana, ideoina, muistoina ja merkityksinä. Keskityn tutkimaan puiden ja ihmisten ominaisuuksien vaikutusta puusuhteiden syntyyn, puiden tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia vuorovaikutukseen, sekä puusuhteiden roolia ihmisen identiteetin rakentumisessa. Tutkimus pohjaa toiminnallisen ekologian, biofiliahypoteesin ja posthumanistisen ajattelun tutkimusperinteisiin sekä hyödyntää aistitutkimuksen menetelmiä sekä tarjoumateoriaa. Lajienvälinen näkökulma haastaa tutkimaan myös puun toimijuutta vuorovaikutussuhteessa. Analyysi kiteytyi kolmeen yleiseen puusuhteiden tyyppiin: ihaileva/voimaannuttava, hoivaava ja nostalginen. Puiden toiminnallisilla ominaisuuksilla, kuten puun koolla ja iällä, oli merkitystä ihailevan/voimannuttavan ja hoivaavan suhteen synnyssä, mutta ei niinkään nostalgisessa suhteessa, jossa merkitsevää oli henkilöhistoriaan kytkeytyvä erityinen paikka ja muistot. Havaitsemani viisi puusuhdetta ohjaavaa yhteyden lajia – materiaalinen-, aistipohjainen-, transsendentti-, symbolinen- ja tiedollinen yhteys paljastavat, että puusuhteissa on erilaisia luonto- ja ihmislähtöisiä näkökulmia. Työni havainnot kuvaavat puusuhteiden kulttuurista-, symbolista- ja tunnemerkitystä heijastaen niiden monimuotoista luonnetta. Tuloksia voidaan laajemmin tarkastella esimerkkinä luontosuhteiden rakentumisen monisyisyydestä. Tämän moniarvoisuuden ymmärtäminen on tärkeää lähiympäristön inhimillistä hyvinvointia tukevan suunnittelun kannalta, koska näyttää siltä, että kaikki puut eivät ole ihmisten näkökulmasta samanarvoisia.
... Perception is often considered to involve the combination of two types of information processing: bottom-up and top-down processing. Bottom-up theories propose a stimulus-driven approach to perception, where recognition of stimuli is 2 Chapter 1: Introduction dominated by physical sensory input from the stimulus, rather than the context (Gibson, 1966;Sternberg et al., 2012). Top-down theories argue a goal-driven approach where perception of stimuli occurs by initially generating perceptual hypotheses based on existing knowledge and prior expectations of the associated context (Gregory, 1980;Sternberg et al., 2012). ...
... Historically, the brain was thought to simply passively receive visual information (Gibson, 1950). However, over time it has become increasingly Chapter 2: Literature Review 13 acknowledged the brain also actively engages in seeking out information from changing stimuli in order to adapt to the surrounding world (Gibson, 1966). Early theoretical influences arguing for the brain to play an active role in perception date back to the 18 th century, and one of the earliest theoretical influences for the perspective of the active brain in perception was through Helmholtz's proposal of unconscious inference. ...
... Selective attention is often further subdivided into three types of attention: bottom-up and top-down attention; covert and overt attention; and spatial, featural, and object attention. Bottom-up attention is directed by external salient stimuli characteristics, and top-down attention is driven by internal goals and purposes (Anderson, 2015;Gibson, 1966;Gregory, 1970;Sternberg et al., 2012). Covert attention is that which is oriented and directed in the absence of eye movements, in comparison to overt attention, which involves the presence of eye movements to relevant locations (Carrasco, 2011;Moore & Zirnsak, 2017). ...
This thesis investigated the relationship between prediction and attention in visual perception by recording electrophysiological brain responses. Visual paradigms were implemented using various manipulations of stimuli (shapes, neutral faces, and emotional faces), types of attention (spatial, featural, and emotion-guided), and prior precision of spatial location (low and high). This thesis found that during the early stages of visual processing prediction error signalling consistently occurs, with information then diverging into the associated brain regions for further processing for information updating. This thesis demonstrates that prediction and attention both interact and dissociate in the brain in distinct stages during visual perception.
... While the adaptationist perspective on cognition relies heavily on the idea that animals become "adapted" to the environment through the process of natural selection, the viewpoint that I support aligns with an evolutionary understanding 5. In anticipation of the next chapter: Gibson (1966;1979) used the term "perceptual systems" to signify that perception is a situated, active process. The sensory organs are involved, but these are just one aspect of the dynamic involvement of the entire body in a specific environment. ...
... The sensory organs are involved, but these are just one aspect of the dynamic involvement of the entire body in a specific environment. For human vision, for example, the eyes are located in the head which sits on a turn-able neck, attached to a moveable body moving in an environment (Gibson 1966). 6. ...
... See Stoffregen, Mantel & Bardy (2017) who are against individuating perceptual systems, and argue that we should consider the senses as one perceptual system. 10. Gibson (1966) wrote about smell, but mostly about odours directly emanating from a source, such as food, predators or mates-though he also mentions Hasler's work, if only in passing, on how salmon are able to find their way back to their natal stream by relying on their sense of smell (see e.g. Hasler & Scholz 1983). ...
In the realm of comparative cognition, researchers often seek specific cognitive abilities in other species without questioning the validity of such pursuits. Many of the abilities we explore in nonhuman animals stem from a view on human cognition that neglects the influence of our unique environments and bodies on our cognitive capacities. This framework not only centres on humans but also disregards how the bodies and environments of other animals shape their abilities. This dual oversight leads to “anthropofabrication”, the inclination to make animals appear similar to us by selectively emphasizing (allegedly) human-like features while disregarding species-specific variations. Considering provocative debates on episodic memory, theory of mind and cognitive maps, Van Woerkum-Rooker introduces an approach that avoids anthropofabrication, by viewing abilities as skilful behaviours within an environment consisting of nested affordances – opportunities for action interconnected across multiple levels and in various ways.
... Approaches united under the umbrella of the EE-model share a common root in the ecological approach to perception and action, originally formulated and developed by James and Eleanor Gibson (Gibson 1966(Gibson , 1969(Gibson , 1979Gibson and Pick 2000). The ecological approach (also referred to, more generally, as "ecological psychology") can be described as the combination of four main ideas (see Segundo-Ortin and Raja 2024). ...
... Approaches united under the umbrella of the EE-model share a common root in the ecological approach to perception and action, originally formulated and developed by James and Eleanor Gibson (Gibson 1966(Gibson , 1969(Gibson , 1979Gibson and Pick 2000). The ecological approach (also referred to, more generally, as "ecological psychology") can be described as the combination of four main ideas (see Segundo-Ortin and Raja 2024). ...
... 4 Finally, consistent with the idea that perception is something we do, the fourth idea of the ecological approach is that perception is a skill, meaning that perceivers must learn how to perceive the relevant affordances. This idea was fundamentally developed by Eleanor Gibson (1969;E. J. Gibson and Pick 2000). ...
Recent years have seen increased interest among 4E cognition scholars in physical disability, leading to the development of the EE-model of disability. This paper contributes to the literature on disability and 4E cognition in three key ways. First, it examines the relationship between the EE-model and social constructivist views that address the bodily reality of disablement, highlighting commonalities and distinctions. Second, it critiques the EE-model’s focus on individual strategies for expanding disabled persons’ affordance landscapes, arguing that disability policy should integrate insights from both the EE-model and social constructivist approaches. Finally, it assesses the EE-model against the “dogma of harmony.” We argue that while the EE-model’s focus on active human-environment collaboration is valuable, it can inadvertently perpetuate this dogma. We contend that integrating certain social constructivist insights can help the EE-model avoid the dogma of harmony.
... Each sense organ is part of a sensory system that receives sensory inputs and transmits sensory information to the brain. This controversy is discussed concerning (Gibson, 1966) who has proposed a direct theory of perception which is a "bottom-up" theory and (Gregory, 1980) who has proposed a constructivist (indirect) theory of perception which is a "top-down" theory. ...
... His theory is called downtop theory. (Gibson 1966) also proposed a theory known as top-down. The researcher categorically opined that no student's academic achievement would be better without a clear perception of what is under study (work). ...
... The researcher categorically opined that no student's academic achievement would be better without a clear perception of what is under study (work). As a result of that, the theories of (Gregory, 1980) and (Gibson, 1966) were incorporated into the main work (Students Team Achievement Division strategy) to determine the students' perception of trigonometry. ...
This study examines the effect of team achievement division strategies on trigonometry perception among senior secondary school students in Maiduguri, Borno State. Trigonometry, a fundamental branch of mathematics, often poses challenges for students due to its abstract nature and complex concepts. Collaborative learning approaches, particularly team achievement division strategies, have been proposed as effective methods to enhance students' understanding and perception of trigonometry. This study uses quasi-experimental design. Through a quantitative research design, four schools were randomly selected out of sixteen schools, and data was collected from four senior secondary school students in Maiduguri utilizing structured questionnaires. The analysis involved assessing students' perceptions of trigonometry before and after implementing team achievement division strategies. D eviation (S.D), were employed to address the research inquiries, while inferential statistics, specifically the independent t-test, were utilized to h hy o h w h f P ≤ 0.05. Results indicated a significant improvement in trigonometry perception among students who participated in collaborative team activities. Findings suggest that integrating team achievement division strategies into trigonometry instruction can positively influence students' perception and comprehension of the subject. Implications for teaching practices and curriculum development are discussed, highlighting the importance of collaborative learning methodologies in enhancing mathematics education in senior secondary schools.
... J. J. Gibson (1966) rejected many classical assumptions about perception but retained 1 that dates back to classical antiquity: the assumption of separate senses. We suggest that Gibson's retention of this assumption compromised his novel concept of perceptual systems. ...
... That article was written for a general audience, whereas in the present paper we focus on relations between perception and the Ecological Approach to Perception and Action. Like J. J. Gibson (1966), our argument is founded upon a consideration of ecological physics, the nature of the animal-environment interaction and how it is specified. Ambient arrays are structured by the animal-environment interaction (i.e., by the position and motion of the animal relative to its environment), and this structuring is governed by physical laws (i.e., laws of the propagation, reflection, and absorption of energy) in such a way that aspects of the animal-environment system give rise to unique structures or patterns in ambient energy. ...
... We lean heavily on J. J. Gibson's (1966) argument that perception should be defined in terms of function, that is, in terms of the aspects of reality that the perceiver should seek to detect. Following Gibson, we argue that behavior is perceived and controlled relative to real aspects of the animal-environment system rather than being controlled relative to sensory reference frames, internal models, estimates, or representations. ...
J. J. Gibson (1966) rejected many classical assumptions about perception but retained 1 that dates back to classical antiquity: the assumption of separate senses. We suggest that Gibson's retention of this assumption compromised his novel concept of perceptual systems. We argue that lawful, 1:1 specification of the animal--environment interaction, which is necessary for perception to be direct, cannot exist in individual forms of ambient energy, such as light, or sound. We argue that specification exists exclusively in emergent, higher order patterns that extend across different forms of ambient energy. These emergent, higher order patterns constitute the global array. If specification exists exclusively in the global array, then direct perception cannot be based upon detection of patterns that are confined to individual forms of ambient energy and, therefore, Gibson's argument for the existence of several distinct perceptual systems cannot be correct. We argue that the senses function as a single, irreducible perceptual system that is sensitive exclusively to patterns in the global array. That is, rather than distinct perceptual systems there exists only 1 perceptual system.
... Based on James and Eleanor Gibson's ecological theory of perception in general Gibson, E. J., 1955;Gibson, J. J., 1966Gibson, J. J., , 1979Gibson, J. J., /2015, Fowler (1986) proposes an event approach to speech perception. She argues that speech is an ecological event in its own right, occurring in the real world between talkers and listeners engaged in public communicative exchanges. ...
... The ecological direct-realist approach posits that the informational primitives in speech perception are dynamic articulatory-gestural patterns (Fowler, 1986), consisting of both phonetic details and phonological structure, each tapping different levels of invariant structure in a common gestural domain. Drawing on the ecological theory of perception (Gibson, J. J.; Gibson, E. J., 1955;Gibson, J. J., 1966Gibson, J. J., , 1979Gibson, J. J., /2015, which argues that perceptual learning implies changes toward greater specificity, a speech perception model known as "Perceptual Assimilation Model" (henceforth, PAM) is proposed by Best (1995) to account for cross-language speech perception effects. Then, this model is extended to address what Best and Tyler (2007, p. 14, emphasis added) call "second language (L2) learner's perception of L2 contrasts." ...
... As a matter of fact, as J. J. Gibson (1966) points out, speech is a multimodal source of information about distal articulatory events: ...
The aim of this paper is twofold: first, to discuss the notion of “environment” from the perspective of Ecological Psychology, and second, to identify potential affordances that learners may perceive in the additional language classroom, given their relations with social events and objects therein. Considering its importance in the field of speech perception, we set out to review the philosophical underpinnings of the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM) and its extension to Second Language Speech Learning (PAM-L2), proposed by Best (1995) and Best and Tyler (2007) respectively, especially regarding the distinction between learning additional languages “in natural communicative contexts vs. in more constrained contexts […] where the target language is not widely used” (Best; Tyler, 2007, p. 19). According to the authors, the additional language classroom in non-native communities is considered “[…] a fairly impoverished context for L2 learning” (Best; Tyler, 2007, p. 19), highly dependent on non-native teachers’ “variable” or even “incorrect” pronunciation. However, we argue that additional language classrooms can promote the emergence of new action systems in learners so that new information in relatively unfamiliar speech can be picked up, and new affordances can thereby be perceived and acted upon (Gibson, E. J.; Pick, 2000).
... James J. Gibson dedicated much of his work to studying the visual information that enables animals to perceive both their own locomotion and the movement of objects (Gibson, 1954(Gibson, , 1966(Gibson, , 1968(Gibson, , 1979(Gibson, /2015. He asserted that transformations of the entire optic array inform animals about their own locomotion, while transformations of a part of the array inform them about the motion of an object. ...
... 310). The emphasis he placed on the permanence of the environment in the study of perception in general can be traced in his subsequent works (Gibson, 1966(Gibson, , 1968(Gibson, , 1979(Gibson, /2015. ...
James J. Gibson affirmed that an object in motion is perceived relative to a permanent background. Based on this assertion, we assessed the perceived direction of a horizontal line (target) as it moved relative to a fixed (illuminated dashed line), or changing background (flashing dashed line). The perception of the direction of the target from a stationary (target crossing the screen) or mobile (target remains in the center of the screen) perspective of observation was also assessed since it is unclear whether motion perception from these two perspectives is influenced by background permanency. Participants were asked to judge whether the target moved to the right or left. Results showed that under the stationary perspective, high percentages of correct judgments were obtained regardless of the type of background. Significantly, under a mobile view, participants were more likely to judge the direction of the line correctly when it moved relative to a fixed rather than a changing background. Finally, response latency decreased with greater exposure to the task, indicating an effect of experience. Our results suggest that a permanent environment provides fixed frames of reference in relation to which the direction of a moving target is perceived under stationary and mobile views.
... De acordo com J. J. Gibson (1966Gibson ( , 1979, um dos principais fundadores da psicologia ecológica, a percepção requer apenas dois componentes: o ambiente e o organismo. Em linha com Gibson, ao considerarmos o organismo separadamente do ambiente, tendemos a explicar a cognição por meio de variáveis que se encontram além do cientificamente observável. ...
... Segundo Chemero (2009), há dois tipos de projeção: a) projeção da dinâmica do mundo ao padrão cinemático: a cinemática especifica a dinâmica do mundo em um escopo limitado 11 . Por exemplo, a sentabilidade, proporcionada por uma cadeira tem o escopo limitado em relação a todas as possibilidades que o objeto pode proporcionar a um organismo (arrastabilidade, carregabilidade etc.); b) projeção da cinemática às informações ecológicas escalonadas para o controle da ação: o organismo só captura informações perceptuais que constituem escalonamentos 12 (J.J. Gibson, 1966Gibson, , 1979 relevantes para a ação. ...
Meu objetivo, neste artigo, é caracterizar a informação ecológica como mediador da interação organismo-ambiente. Para isso, examino parte da produção bibliográfica centrada na noção de informação, dentro da perspectiva gibsoniana. A partir da análise do material, identifico a existência de dois tipos de informações ecológicas: informação baseada-em-leis naturais e a informação. Um exame mais aprofundado revela o potencial da informação ecológica baseada-em-convenção enquanto constructo ecocognitivo para o tratamento de questões linguísticas.
... Tal estratégia nem sempre é garantia de êxito, visto que o impacto no potencial consumidor não necessariamente se dá pela transmissão da mensagem publicitária. Isso porque na equação entre densidade de informações no ambiente e processamento destas informações, o usuário seleciona, associa e gera significados a partir do que visualiza na paisagem e da sua condição cognitiva (Gibson, 1966;Rapoport, 1978). Não se pode negar, entretanto, a relevância dos anúncios comerciais na paisagem urbana considerando que são meios importantes de comunicação, sendo esta a base das relações humanas. ...
... A percepção dos participantes, quanto aos anúncios comerciais na constituição do conjunto paisagístico do Centro Histórico de Laguna (Figura 10), é evidenciada sob diferentes perspectivas. Os achados são consoantes aos estudos de Gibson (1966) e Rapoport (1978), que discorrem sobre a relação entre homem e ambiente através do processo sensório-perceptivo. Os achados também corroboraram os estudos de Kaplan et al. (1998), sobre interesses divergentes que grupos sociais distintos podem apresentar. ...
Este artigo apresenta uma investigação sobre a mídia exterior em centros históricos tombados, em cujas paisagens urbanas sobressaem referências simbólicas, sentimentais e culturais. O objetivo é avaliar a mídia exterior instalada no âmbito das edificações e a percepção de diferentes usuários. Foi estabelecido um recorte espacial, no contexto do Centro Histórico tombado de Laguna/SC. A pesquisa, qualitativa e exploratória, envolveu o levantamento de campo e entrevistas, totalizando 41 participantes. Em relação ao levantamento de campo, evidenciou-se que devido à restritividade das diretrizes já existentes no local, poucos estabelecimentos comerciais estão de acordo com a normativa. Já a análise de conteúdo, utilizada como tratamento dos dados das entrevistas, revelou consonâncias e dissonâncias no discurso dos diferentes grupos entrevistados, e entre indivíduos de um mesmo grupo amostral.
... And Basoukos (2014, p.63) states "an ergonomically designed chair leads us to a wide range of bodily sensations". Gibson (1966) tells us that sensory design considers not only the aesthetic form of things but also how things shape us, our behavior, our feelings, and our truth. The senses respond to a persistent, ever-changing environment. ...
This research examines whether children can acquire aesthetics through design in their everyday lives. Students recycle their old school seats, following their own ideas. The aim of the project is for children to get to know sustainable design through a construction of their own and to work cooperatively, resulting in offering their work to the community. The study comes to answer if children can implement a design thinking project in primary school if they have the ability to become the designers of their own things if they can understand sustainability through design, and if they can work with the intention of offering their project to the community. Students develop thinking and life skills through design thinking, experimentation, and playful art, as well as through sensory and narrative design, two processes that are perfectly natural in the world of children. Participatory work in a collaborative community form helps the children to step outside themselves and acquire empathy for the rest of the school community.
... Αν δοκιμάσουμε να αγγίξουμε τη μύτη μας η ικανότητα αυτή που θα κινήσει ενστικτωδώς το χέρι σε αυτή την ακριβή, αόρατη θέση απαιτεί μια ολοκληρωμένη κατανόηση των μερών του σώματος και των κινήσεων. Ο περιβαλλοντικός ψυχολόγος James Gibson (1966) μας λέει ότι η επίγνωση του σωματικού μας σκελετού δημιουργεί ένα φευγαλέο γεωμετρικό σχήμα της στάσης μας στον χώρο, 'έναν εύθραυστο αστερισμό σημείων', αποκαλώντας αυτή τη συνειδητοποίηση 'υποκειμενικό σκελετικό χώρο'. ...
Σε αυτή τη μελέτη ανιχνεύουμε τους τρόπους επικοινωνίας του μικρού μαθητή με τον οικείο του χώρο, αισθητηριακά και συναισθηματικά. Η πολυτροπική έκφραση γίνεται το ζητούμενο σε μια ευαισθητοποιημένη πολυαισθητηριακή διάδραση με τουλικό περιβάλλον. Ερευνούμε τη δύναμη που έχειτο αντικείμενο όχι μόνο ως οπτικήμορφή αλλά και ως απτική, γευστική, οσφρητική και ηχητική ανάμνηση. Το ‘Κουτί των αισθήσεων’ είναι ένα παιχνίδι το οποίο καλλιεργεί τον αισθητηριακό σχεδιασμό δίνοντας σε ένα παιδί την ευκαιρία για τη βιωματική εξερεύνηση του κόσμου.
Ανακαλύπτοντας κανείς τα υλικά με τις αισθήσεις δηλαδή τον χαρακτήρα ο οποίος
ορίζει η ταυτότητα τους ο μαθητής αντιλαμβάνεται τη μοναδική του σχέση με την
αισθητική της καθημερινότητάς σε ένα επίπεδο πολυδιάστατης αντιληπτικής
εμπειρίας. Όσο οι αισθήσεις ανακαλούνται χρησιμοποιούμε την επικοινωνία του
λόγου και της γραφής για να τις ερμηνεύσουμε και να τις επικοινωνήσουμε. Πως
αλληλεπιδρούν οι αισθήσεις μας με τη γλωσσική επικοινωνία; Τι χρώμα έχει μια λέξη και τη γεύση έχει μια εικόνα; Πως συνεργεί η εικονικότητα της γλώσσας και της γραφής στην περιγραφή των αισθήσεων και τελικά στην επικοινωνία; Μήπως όλα αυτά τα ξεχωριστά θραύσματα της καθημερινής μας αισθητηριακής εμπειρίας
μπορεί να τα αφηγηθεί ένα ποίημα haiku;
... The Bottom-Up Limitation Hypothesis: Errors in MLLMs arise primarily from their dependence on raw sensory data, which limits their ability to integrate contextual inference or prior knowledge. The Feature-Specific Error Hypothesis: Errors are driven more by the inherent complexity of specific visual features, such as 3D structures, rotations, or missing faces, rather than the absence of contextual reasoning [5,6]. ...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has achieved transformative success across a wide range of domains, revolutionizing fields such as healthcare, education, and human-computer interaction. However, the mechanisms driving AI's performance often remain opaque, particularly in the context of large language models (LLMs), which have advanced at an unprecedented pace in recent years. Multi-modal large language models (MLLMs) like GPT-4o exemplify this evolution, integrating text, audio, and visual inputs to enable interaction across diverse domains. Despite their remarkable capabilities, these models remain largely "black boxes," offering limited insight into how they process multi-modal information internally. This lack of transparency poses significant challenges, including systematic biases, flawed associations, and unintended behaviors, which require careful investigation. Understanding the decision-making processes of MLLMs is both beneficial and essential for mitigating these challenges and ensuring their reliable deployment in critical applications. GPT-4o was chosen as the focus of this study for its advanced multi-modal capabilities, which allow simultaneous processing of textual and visual information. These capabilities make it an ideal model for investigating the parallels and distinctions between machine-driven and human-driven visual perception. While GPT-4o performs effectively in tasks involving structured and complete data, its reliance on bottom-up processing, which involves a feature-by-feature analysis of sensory inputs, presents challenges when interpreting complex or ambiguous stimuli. This limitation contrasts with human vision, which is remarkably adept at resolving ambiguity and reconstructing incomplete information through high-level cognitive processes.
... 2 A terminologia affordances nasce na psicologia e tem por autor James Gibson (1966 Tendo sido contaminada ao longo dos anos em todas as esferas da vida pela lógica do mercado (Brown, 2019) -restando a nossa cognição como última fronteira desse contínuo extrativismo (Chun, 2016;Neto, 2020;Zuboff, 2021). Cesarino (2022, p. 279) salienta a urgência de uma nova abordagem a ser adotada no fazer e compreender a política, pois, para a autora, a construção democrática de uma nova sociedade "reside na capacidade de adaptação ao sistema das práticas políticas". ...
... Consider a Gibsonian or Neo-Gibsonian about perception, someone who thinks of perceptual capacities as essentially active, coupled engagement with the world. Such scholars will have a distinct set of assumptions and methodological criteria of evaluation for any particular formulation of MQ (Gibson, 1966;Hurley, 2001;Noë, 2004;Thompson, 2007). These will differ in many important ways from the traditional computational or mechanistic views that posit and evaluate sensory representations and look for computational solutions to the various puzzles of interaction. ...
In this paper I argue that the answer(s) to Molyneux's question are not as important as usually assumed. This view stems from two directions: (i) I believe the question is generally under-specified, and can be made precise in several incompatible ways (something noted by many others) and (ii) in order to answer a precise formulation of the question we are forced to make a number of assumptions about the individuation of the senses, the nature of representation, and about psychological explanation. These assumptions play an outsize role in evaluating Molyneux questions compared to most other questions in cognitive science, lessening the interest of any particular study or finding on this matter, even when we are very precise in the formulation of our question. Further, if we take our best contemporary accounts of sensory taxonomy, representation, and psychological explanation to be inherently pluralistic, modestly interest-relative, and multivariate (as many do), then we should not expect any answer to a precise version of the question to definitively settle any issues about content, taxonomy, or psychological explanation. The focus of this paper is a defense of this second line of thought.
... Qualitative approaches can involve identifying, analysing, and interpreting patterns, themes, and meanings within the collected data. The concept of affordance was originally introduced by J.J. Gibson, a cognitive and ecological psychologist, in his 1983 book The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems (Gibson 1983). Gibson's aim was to explain the fundamental ways in which agents, whether human or non-human, navigate, perceive, and interact with their environment. ...
... This is curious considering the longrecognized importance of environmental sounds for ensuring a person's awareness of, and connection to, objects and events in the immediate environment (Ramsdell 1978;Gaver 1993). Following the ecological perspective introduced by Gibson (1966) in vision sciences, and later expanded by Gaver (1993) and Neuhoff (2004) in hearing sciences, it is essential to consider the broad functional significance of all elements of the soundscape in the context of everyday human behavior. People spend less time in situations involving speech communication than in situations where they are monitoring surroundings, that is, when they are collecting nonlinguistic information to build a perceptual representation of their close environment to orient, navigate, and assess potential resources, opportunities for action, and danger (Keidser et al. 2020;Smeds et al. 2020;Lorenzi et al. 2023). ...
The ability to monitor surrounding natural sounds and scenes is important for performing many activities in daily life and for overall well-being. Yet, unlike speech, perception of natural sounds and scenes is relatively understudied in relation to hearing loss, despite the documented restorative health effects. We present data from first-time hearing aid users describing "rediscovered" natural sounds they could now perceive with clarity. These data suggest that hearing loss not only diminishes recognition of natural sounds, but also limits people's awareness of the richness of their environment, thus limiting their connection to it. Little is presently known about the extent hearing aids can restore the perception of abundance, clarity, or intensity of natural sounds. Our call to action outlines specific steps to improve the experience of natural sounds and scenes for people with hearing loss-an overlooked aspect of their quality of life.
... To explain how our conception of songs as social actors and potential problem-solving devices is not mechanistic or instrumentalist, we adopt DeNora's use of the concept of 'affordances', which originated in the work of psychologist James Gibson (1966). An affordance can be 'broadly described as possibilities for action -is the "multifaceted relational structure" (Faraj and Azad 2012: 254) between an object/ technology and the user that enables or constrains potential behavioural outcomes in a particular context' (Evans et al. 2017: 36). ...
In this article we share some findings from the Distant Voices – Coming Home project. It is a partnership between the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and the West of Scotland, and the Glasgow-based arts charity Vox Liminis. Distant Voices aims to explore and practice re/integration after punishment through creative collaborations (primarily songwriting) and action-research. The project is complex and interdisciplinary, blurring boundaries between creative practices, community-building, research, knowledge exchange and public engagement. As such, this article does not present a synthesis of project findings, but instead discusses original music created within the project, proposing that an analysis of the ‘musical event’ (DeNora 2003) of the songwriting can tell us about punishment and re/integration.
... This is curious considering the longrecognized importance of environmental sounds for ensuring a person's awareness of, and connection to, objects and events in the immediate environment (Ramsdell 1978;Gaver 1993). Following the ecological perspective introduced by Gibson (1966) in vision sciences, and later expanded by Gaver (1993) and Neuhoff (2004) in hearing sciences, it is essential to consider the broad functional significance of all elements of the soundscape in the context of everyday human behavior. People spend less time in situations involving speech communication than in situations where they are monitoring surroundings, that is, when they are collecting nonlinguistic information to build a perceptual representation of their close environment to orient, navigate, and assess potential resources, opportunities for action, and danger (Keidser et al. 2020;Smeds et al. 2020;Lorenzi et al. 2023). ...
The ability to monitor surrounding natural sounds and scenes is important for performing many activities in daily life and for overall well-being. Yet, unlike speech, perception of natural sounds and scenes is relatively understudied in relation to hearing loss, despite the documented restorative health effects. We present data from first-time hearing aid users describing "rediscovered" natural sounds they could now perceive with clarity. These data suggest that hearing loss not only diminishes recognition of natural sounds, but also limits people's awareness of the richness of their environment, thus limiting their connection to it. Little is presently known about the extent hearing aids can restore the perception of abundance, clarity, or intensity of natural sounds. Our call to action outlines specific steps to improve the experience of natural sounds and scenes for people with hearing loss-an overlooked aspect of their quality of life.
... 48 These are the 'affordances' of platform architecture-how the features of a technology affect its functions, in particular by making certain kinds of uses and outcomes more or less likely, for example by inviting and incentivising some uses, and discouraging or frustrating others. See Gibson, 1966. For a comprehensive recent theory of affordances, see Davis, 2020. ...
Algorithmic intermediaries govern the digital public sphere through their architectures, amplification algorithms, and moderation practices. In doing so, they shape public communication and distribute attention in ways that were previously infeasible with such subtlety, speed and scale. From misinformation and affective polarisation to hate speech and radicalisation, the many pathologies of the digital public sphere attest that they could do so better. But what ideals should they aim at? Political philosophy should be able to help, but existing theories typically assume that a healthy public sphere will spontaneously emerge if only we get the boundaries of free expression right. They offer little guidance on how to intentionally constitute the digital public sphere. In addition to these theories focused on expression, we need a further theory of communicative justice, targeted specifically at the algorithmic intermediaries that shape communication and distribute attention. This lecture argues that political philosophy urgently owes an account of how to govern communication in the digital public sphere, and introduces and defends a democratic egalitarian theory of communicative justice.
... The interception paths are synthesized by a four-bar link connected by a slider-pin joint model. The dynamical link (equations of constraint) selectively reduces the number of independently controlled DOFs, allowing a rich set of trajectories [53]. The configuration allows link l to move only parallel to the agent's line of sight, since it is equal to the line l defined in Figure 5. ...
This research introduces an innovative algorithmic framework designed to enhance motion perception and visually guided interceptive actions in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) environments. By applying harmonic ratios and stimulation invariants, the proposed algorithms enable real-time prediction of interception points and improve the responsiveness of VR/AR systems. This methodology translates complex theories of visual perception and motion into practical algorithmic solutions, providing dynamic prediction capabilities critical for applications such as online gaming, virtual simulations, and neurorehabilitation. Our findings underscore the potential of these algorithms to advance interactive systems, improving user experiences in immersive virtual environments through more precise and adaptive motion tracking and control. This approach is particularly relevant for enhancing the realism and efficiency of VR and AR applications in media, online gaming, and other collaborative digital environments.
... A reverse approach would be possible, to create or facilitate visual motion by mixing in corresponding visual optical flow pattern or even vection direction consistent multimodal feedback (e.g. tactile [27], aural [28], [29], haptic [20], [29]- [31], and wind [32], as noted in [33]- [36]. ...
In recent years, the integration of virtual reality (VR) into vehicular environments has opened new possibilities for entertainment, education, and productive activities during transit. However, motion and cybersickness, exacerbated by sensory mismatches between visual and vestibular systems, remains a significant challenge. To mitigate such a difficulty, the idea of mixing in vehicle motion information into the VR content (as a way to reduce the sensory mismatch) has been suggested. While the suggested technique has shown promising results, it has been tested mainly for passive viewing situations only. This study explores the effectiveness of on-vehicle VR content with synchronized vehicle motion information during “active” task performance. Three experimental conditions were compared, while carrying out an interactive task, viewing: (1) the on-vehicle VR content as is, (2) VR content with overlaid (graphical) particles moving in synchrony to vehicle motion, (3) VR content with overlaid video of a car mounted camera. The first condition served as the control condition (“Baseline”), while the latter two represented different forms of mixing in synchronized vehicle motion into the VR scene for sickness reduction (“Particle” and “Camera” respectively). Results indicated that the Particle condition significantly reduced both cybersickness and task completion time compared to Baseline and Camera conditions. However, contrary to initial expectations, the Camera condition did not show any significant sickness reduction effect. A post analysis revealed that the high frequency/amplitude and insufficient content frame rate of the motion presentation by the vehicle mounted camera wrote off the effect of the synchronized motion and possibly exacerbated the extent of the sickness. This study provides insights into designing VR environments that optimize user comfort and performance in moving vehicles, emphasizing the importance of simplified, consistent visual motion cues.
... Em consonância com a psicologia ecológica deGibson (1966), Sinha (2009) formula a noção de nicho biocultural, em termos de repertórios ecológicos evolutivamente desenvolvidos, os quais são constitutivos do modo específico de ser / viver / agir de certas espécies animais, entre elas, o homem. Trata-se de um processo no qual organismo e ambiente estão em relações complementares, cada um configurando o outro. ...
Resumo: O artigo pretende analisar práticas discursivas produzidas a partir do rompimento da barragem de rejeitos Fundão, da mineradora Samarco, em Mariana (MG). Mais especificamente, focaliza uma das iniciativas da sociedade civil organizada, que se traduz pelo jornal A Sirene, produzido pelos atingidos com a colaboração dos coletivos #UmMinutoDeSirene e NITRO, como ferramenta de comunicação e de mobilização dos atingidos. Para tanto, utilizam-se como fundamentação teórica categorias oriundas de diferentes modelos inseridos no campo dos estudos discursivos, quais sejam, a noção de ferramenta da tecnologia discursiva, da teoria dos pré-discursos (PAVEAU, 2013), e o conceito de padrão de acesso ao discurso, da análise crítica do discurso (DIJK, 2008). Objetiva-se articular essas duas noções, com vistas à descrição e à interpretação de enunciados do jornal A Sirene, tomados como uma amostragem representativa da especificidade dessa prática discursiva. Neste sentido, os procedimentos metodológicos utilizados caracterizamse como uma abordagem qualitativa de natureza heurística, com vistas à compreensão do processo de discursivização desse acontecimento que tem sido considerado a maior tragédia socioambiental do país. A hipótese defendida através da análise de amostras do jornal em questão é a de que ele constitui um modo de empoderamento das populações atingidas, sob a forma de uma ferramenta discursiva que propicia aos atingidos padrões de acesso ao discurso.Palavras-chave: práticas de linguagem; tecnologia discursiva; formas de empoderamento, barragem de rejeitos, jornal A Sirene.Abstract: The article aims to analyze discursive practices about the Samarco dam burst in Mariana (MG). More specifically, it focuses on one of the initiatives of civil society, which is reflected by the newspaper A Sirene, produced by the affected people with the cooperation of the collective #UmMinutoDeSirene and NITRO, as a communication tool to mobilize affected people. Therefore, concepts from different models of discursive studies are used as theoretical foundations, such as the notion of discursive tool technology from the pre-discursive theory (PAVEAU, 2013) and the concept of discourse access pattern from Critical Discourse Analysis (DIJK, 2008). Our objective is to integrate both notions aiming at the description and the interpretation of the newspaper A Sirene, taken as a representative sample of the specificity of such a discursive practice. In this sense, the methodological procedures used are characterized as a qualitative approach of heuristic nature, in order to understand and interpret the discursivization process of the event, which has been considered the biggest socio-environmental tragedy in the country. The hypothesis defended through the newspaper samples analysis is that it is a way for affected population empowerment, in terms of a discursive tool that allows patterns of discourse access to affected people.Keywords: Language Practices; Discursive Technology; Forms of Empowerment; Dam Tailings; Newspaper The Siren.
... One potential rationale for such findings is that the volumetric aspects of holographic recordings signal the human eye to focus on events perceived to be proximally closer (see Figure 1). Gibson (1966) conjectured that the human eye is drawn to aspects proximally closer due partly to the distance that light travels between further and closer events. Figure 1 provides a rough illustration of how holographic representations of students may signal the eye to look more closely at the student's desk, and, by consequence, students' mathematical work. ...
This study used traditional and holographic video, along with eye-tracking technology, to examine how preservice teachers' physical act of looking is associated with how they attend to and assess students' fraction reasoning. Findings revealed that, although viewing of holograms may have influenced more focus on students' work area, there was little observed difference in the written noticing of preservice teachers in each condition. Additionally, by examining eye-gaze data for how teachers focused rather than simply what they focused on, findings were able to distinguish between how different participants perceived students' fraction work. Results indicated that the more participants described students' conceptual reasoning, the more likely they were to focus on the mathematical work students were doing and not simply on the region they did such work. 100
... Gibson's direct theory of perception suggests that individuals directly perceive information from their environment without significant cognitive processing or interpretation (Gibson, 1966;Gibson, 1986). Gibson emphasized the significance of affordances-the opportunities for action that the environment provides (Costall, 1984;Gibson, 1969;Gibson & Pick, 2000). ...
... The concept of synergies has been crucial for theorizing about how an embodied cognitive system's multifarious moving parts coexist and cooperate at a coarse grain. The ecological-psychological emphasis on nesting has been important as it emphasizes that causality does not only proceed at small atomistic scales (Gibson, 1966), and an explanatory reduction of diverse outcomes to relatively fewer laws is not necessarily a reduction to smaller parts. HKB-style models of synergies firmly established the causal status of organizations at larger scales (e.g., order parameters). ...
The interaction-dominant approach to perception and action, originally formulated in the mid-1990s, has matured and gained remarkable momentum as an entailment of the dynamical hypotheses proposed at that time. This framework seeks to explain the fluid and intricate interplay of causality spanning the entire organism by integrating high-dimensional details with low-dimensional constraints across various scales of behavior. Both Chemero (2024) and Wallot et al. (2024) have skillfully explored the theoretical implications and methodological challenges this perspective introduces. We echo Chemero's (2024) and Wallot et al.'s (2024) focus on multifractality, while also underscoring new efforts to model the synergetic relationships and cascading dynamics inherent in this interaction-dominant approach.
... Around the time cybernetics was introduced to the scientific community, there were other theoretical developments in psychology's subdisciplines, which foreshadowed key principles that have since been espoused by the active inference community. Take, for example, ecological psychology, which stemmed from the foundational works of Gibson [137,138], Barker [139], and Bronfenbrenner [140,141]. This relational approach looks at the ways in which action and perception emerge from reciprocal organism-environment relationships over time [142]. ...
The free energy principle is a formal theory of adaptive self-organising systems that emerged from statistical thermodynamics, machine learning and theoretical neuroscience and has since been translated into biologically plausible ‘process theories’ of cognition and behaviour, which fall under the banner of ‘active inference’. Despite the promise this theory holds for theorising, research and practical applications in psychology and psychiatry, its impact on these disciplines has only now begun to bear fruit. The aim of this treatment is to consider the extent to which active inference has informed theoretical progress in psychology, before exploring its contributions to our understanding and treatment of psychopathology. Despite facing persistent translational obstacles, progress suggests that active inference has the potential to become a new paradigm that promises to unite psychology’s subdisciplines, while readily incorporating the traditionally competing paradigms of evolutionary and developmental psychology. To date, however, progress towards this end has been slow. Meanwhile, the main outstanding question is whether this theory will make a positive difference through applications in clinical psychology, and its sister discipline of psychiatry.
... In general, bottom-up influences on perception are defined by feedforward, structural constraints in processing (Gibson 1966(Gibson , 1972. In a similar manner, one might consider recency biases to be byproducts of such processes, whether essentially reflexive in nature (e.g., Lyons et al., 2013), concerning the output of cognitive ability (e.g., Frederick, 2005), or related to learned associations (e.g., Mossbridge et al., 2017). ...
... Studies typically examine emotional reactions to situations or objects as entities separate from oneself, and rarely consider how the nature of self-environment coupling affects emotion. Noted psychologist Gibson (1966Gibson ( , 1986 proposed a perspective that the self and the environment are a tightly coupled, inseparable pair, and Gibson argued that there are invariants, known as affordances, in the structure of the environment with rich stimulus information to be perceived and acted on directly. Importantly, an affordance points two ways in that it contains information about its usefulness, as well as information regarding the observer, because to perceive the environment requires "co-perception" of oneself (Gibson, 1986). ...
Emotion involves oneself in relation to a subject of attention; e.g., sadness is to be sad about something/someone. This study examined emotional responses to perceiving a loss of connection from oneself. Evidence suggests that Europeans tend to perceive salient objects in the foreground, while East Asians are more likely to perceive holistically, considering the interrelationships between the context and the object. We studied how this distinction affected European Americans’ (EA) and Chinese Americans’ (CA) sensitivity to perceiving the loss of connection. Both groups were exposed to loss by playing Cyberball, a ball-tossing video game, and then watched a film clip on grief. We hypothesized that EA would respond with increasing heart rate (HR) variance around the mean when perceiving loss. CA were predicted to show no difference from controls. We also hypothesized that EA would feel sadder, in terms of decreased HR and increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), earlier during the film clip. In total, 53 subjects were recruited, of which 40 were EA (47.5% women, age 21.08 ± 1.94 years) and 13 were CA (61.5% women, age 21.05 ± 1.74 years); 25 subjects (19 EA, 6 CA) received 2 out of 48 balls tossed in Cyberball and the controls received 10. ECG, respiration, and facial electromyography (fEMG) data were acquired. The results during Cyberball showed that EA’s HR variance relative to baseline (HR SDc/b) had an upward trend on perceiving loss. Contrary to prediction, CA also showed higher levels of HR variance relative to baseline. The ANOVA of HR SDc/b revealed that the interaction effect of two factors, time and condition, was statistically significant (p = 0.009). However, as predicted, EA in the experimental condition had decreased HR and increased RSA, a sign of withdrawal in sadness, 30 to 60 s into the sad clip. fEMG data at the corrugator muscle revealed that EA activated higher peak intensity 5.5 s earlier than CA (increased 1.571 vs. 0.844). This difference, however, was not statistically significant. The evidence suggests that increased exposure to loss automatically led to increased HR variance in both groups even when subjects were informed that players were computer-generated. However, the effect was stronger on EA to increase their arousal and sensitivity to grief thereafter.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fields of design and planning become increasingly common. At the same time fears related to the threats of technocentrism and disconnectedness from nature towards applications of AI in managing and shaping our living environments are rising. The concept of biophilic design holds the potential for bridging the gap between urban population and nature and avoiding technocentrism in urban life and planning. Thus, the need arises to connect biophilic design and planning and the applications of AI in urbanism. Consequently, this research presents the review, discussion and experiment of potential applications of AI (mainly focusing on generative AI) in biophilic urbanism and nature-based solutions in cities.
Scientists, either working alone or in groups, require rich cognitive, social, cultural, and material environments to accomplish their epistemic aims. There is research in the cognitive sciences that examines intelligent behavior as a function of the environment (“environmental perspectives”), which can be used to examine how scientists integrate “cognitive-cultural” resources as they create environments for problem-solving. In this paper, I advance the position that an expanded framework of distributed cognition can provide conceptual, analytical, and methodological tools to investigate how scientists enhance natural cognitive capacities by creating specific kinds of environments to address their epistemic goals. In a case study of a pioneering neuroengineering lab seeking to understand learning in living networks of neurons, I examine how the researchers integrated conceptual, methodological, and material resources from engineering, neuroscience, and computational science to create different kinds of distributed problem-solving environments that enhanced their natural cognitive capacities, for instance, for reasoning, visualization, abstraction, imagination, and memory, to attain their epistemic aims.
Philosophers tend to focus on the metaphysics of functions: establishing unifying theories employing general criteria for being a function, avoiding spooky backward causation, distinguishing functions from accidents, and correctly representing the functional structure of the world. We show that there is a need for localized, practice-sensitive accounts of the epistemology of functions—accounts that explain the identification, justification, and explanatory applications of function attributions in particular scientific contexts—and that this need is best met alongside a plurality of unifying metaphysical theories of functions. Our argument begins with the observation that unifying theories assume that (i) functions are discovered or justified by criteria for being a function and (ii) criteria identified in a theory are generally applicable across target systems. We then draw on examples from cognitive science and ecology to show that function ascriptions are sometimes presupposed or assigned based on highly contextual epistemic factors not described in unifying metaphysical theories.
This chapter explores the intersection of postcognitivism and sensory substitution, introducing the concept of affordance within ecological psychology. It posits that the risks associated with expanding the concept of affordance outweigh those of maintaining specificity, which fosters the perception of a direct process. The chapter showcases five devices explicitly embracing a post-cognitivist approach to sensory substitution (enactive or ecological devices). The discussion encompasses three key features for an affordance-based approach to sensory substitution: tactile stimulation contingent on distance to surfaces, the acknowledgment of perception as an active process, and the recognition of perceptual training as a valuable tool for enhancing perceptual learning. The chapter culminates in a proposal outlining how affordances substantiate a sensory substitution approach that surpasses mere functional replacement of sensory modalities. This proposal is also intricately linked to observed behavior concerning distal attribution. By exploring these facets, the chapter contributes to a deeper understanding of the intersection between postcognitivism, affordances, and sensory substitution, emphasizing the nuanced dynamics and potential advancements in this interdisciplinary realm.
Research incorporating either eye-tracking technology or immersive technology (virtual reality and 360 video) into studying teachers’ professional noticing is recent. Yet, such technologies allow a better understanding of the embodied nature of professional noticing. Thus, the goal of the current study is to examine how teachers’ eye-gaze in immersive representations of practice correspond to their attending to children’s mathematics. Using a mixed methods approach, we incorporated eye-tracking technology embedded within a virtual reality environment to compare novice and expert teachers’ gaze duration with quality of professional noticing. Findings and results both corroborate and extend previous research evidence about important differences in professional noticing between expert and novice teachers. Specifically, the amount of experience, and thus familiarity, teachers have with being in a classroom may affect their physical movement in both real and virtual representations of practice. Additionally, findings and results emphasize the importance of teachers’ visual focus on students’ doing of mathematics across the classroom.
The current main linguistic model of gradability, referred to here as the extent model, is logically and psychologically unacceptable. A psychologically and logically based alternative is presented which actually explains (1) the antonymic pairing and opposite order directions of gradable adjectives; (2) the prototypical nature of individual-level adjectives and not of stage-level ones; (3) the dearth of measures; (4) the logical relation between the positive and comparative degrees of declension; (5) certain previously misunderstood comparative constructions such as those for "comparison of deviation" and those for Boolean predicate comparison in English, Romance and other languages. 1. Groundwork: the phenomena to be explained and the model to be used 1 Quantity is a mode of existence, the physical mode in fact. Particular quantities are not basic individuals but rather physical existence properties of individuals ranging from photons to galaxies. Those properties can be abstracted or compared, so that two individuals can have the "same" quantity of height just as they can have the "same" hat. However, being an individual-level property, height can also be treated by language as a persistent non-sharable inalienably 1 The term degree suggests that gradability necessarily involves measurement, an idea originating in Wunderlich (1970) and Bartsch and Vennemann (1972) and currently defended by Kennedy (1999 et pass.) This paper uses the term quantity because taking gradability to involve measurement results in misunderstanding the notion of an ordered set of quantities which is the basis of gradable adjective concepts and their semantics. Details of the misunderstanding are given at the end of this section.
This paper introduces a theory of mind that positions language as a cognitive tool in its own right for the optimization of biological fitness. I argue that human language reconstruction of reality results from biological memory and adaptation to uncertain environmental conditions for the reaffirmation of the Self-as-symbol. I demonstrate that pre-trained language models, such as ChatGPT, lack embodied grounding, which compromises their ability to adequately model the world through language due to the absence of subjecthood and conscious states for event recognition and partition. At a deep level, I challenge the notion that the constitution of a semiotic Self relies on computational reflection, arguing against reducing human representation to data structures and emphasizing the importance of positing accurate models of human representation through language. This underscores the distinction between transformers as posthuman agents and humans as purposeful biological agents, which emphasizes the human capacity for purposeful biological adjustment and optimization. One of the main conclusions of this is that the capacity to integrate information does not amount to phenomenal consciousness as argued by Information Integration Theory. The conclusion is that while language models exhibit superior computational capacity, they lack the real consciousness providing them with multiscalar experience anchored in the physical world, a characteristic of human cognition. However, the paper anticipates the emergence of new in-silico conceptualizers capable of defining themselves as phenomenal agents with symbolic contours and specific goals.
Le Paléolithique ancien des Pyrénées-Atlantiques a été principalement documenté à travers quelques pièces isolées découvertes à la faveur de prospections menées sur les formations fluviales et littorales ainsi qu'à travers deux fouilles préventives récentes conduites sur les hauteurs de Bayonne. La falaise de Chabiague à Biarritz a fait l'objet de recherches diverses depuis le début des années 1970 et notamment d'une fouille de sauvetage en 1982 effectuée par C. Chauchat. Au cours de ces décennies de recherches, elle a livré un assemblage lithique composé de 510 pièces majoritairement en silex du Flysch à forte patine blanche. L'étude a porté sur cette série provenant de ramassages dans la coupe et en pied de falaise, ainsi que de l'opération archéologique de sauvetage réalisée. Un premier objectif a été de s'assurer de son homogénéité technique, puis une analyse technologique et structurale nous a permis de révéler les processus et les objectifs du système de production lithique à partir d'une grille de lecture adaptée. Les données de notre étude mettent en évidence une industrie orientée vers la production de petits outils sur éclat. À côté de ces petits outils sont associés quelques macro-outils sur plaquette et galet. Les données de cette étude replacées dans une perspective locale et étendue contribuent à questionner la singularité de l'enregistrement technique sur la façade atlantique pyrénéenne au Paléolithique ancien.
This chapter considers the ‘transcendental’ preconditions for judgement, which is a Kantian way of addressing the capacity of judgement to see beyond the moment of its own activity, which is necessary for judgements to be ‘justifiable’ in some wider conceptual sense. Yet, this capacity seems to be precisely denied by the ‘contextualist’ turn in the human sciences, whereby people are rendered empirical geniuses and transcendental dopes. In other words, we are depicted as incredibly aware of our immediate surroundings but ignorant of—if not oblivious to—those elsewhere in time and space. However, such methodological contextualism is not true to the experience of people, though it does have some basis in Kant’s own epistemology. The rest of the chapter deals with broadly ‘constructivist’ strategies to bootstrap one’s necessarily contextually situated judgement into a more transcendent form of inquiry. Historically, much of this task has been achieved by the establishment of institutions, not least those of the law and science. Francis Bacon is discussed in this respect, especially as a precursor to Kant, social constructivism and, indeed, my own social epistemology. The chapter ends with an extended discussion of William Whewell, whose career epitomized the issues raised here. In the mid-nineteenth century, he coined the word ‘scientist’ to name a profession requiring a distinct education and disposition to the world.
This study reviews the literature on TOUCH to establish an analytical framework for the study of TOUCH in communication through language. Two questions are at the heart of the study-an ontological and a methodological one: What counts as TOUCH, and how can we investigate the way we talk about TOUCH? Within the broad framework of cognitive semantics, we offer a general approach to TOUCH and identify two main types of Gestalt profiles related to the dynamicity in the Gestalt formation, namely activity and experience, in which case the former is related to external stimulation only, while the latter may be the result of external or internal stimulation.
High-quality built environments significantly enhance residents’ health, urban livability, and sustainability. However, the lack of precise pre-evaluation of designs and user perceptions during the design phase often results in suboptimal improvements. This study proposes a method for evaluating and optimizing design schemes based on multidimensional physical environment simulations and virtual perception, using a university campus as a case study. Initially, we establish simulation models for sound, wind, thermal, and light environments and analyze the current state of virtual perception in the campus environment. Subsequently, we integrate the evaluation results of the physical environment and virtual perception to identify three priority intervention areas and develop corresponding design strategies. Finally, we reapply the method for pre-evaluation of the design schemes and further optimize the designs. The results show that the optimized schemes receive positive feedback in virtual perception evaluations. This study leverages the combined use of multidimensional physical environment simulations and VR technology to create an immersive virtual environment with measurable physical perception experiences, providing a new approach for guiding the sustainability of built environments.
This research addresses interactions in urban environments—when defined as interaction types and used as a metric—as they provide an effective strategy for understanding the relationship between urban heterogeneity and how we are visually sustained through engagement with our surroundings. With most of us now living in cities, the importance of visual sustainability in urban design strategy should not be underestimated. Interaction type analysis is key to bridging the gap in knowledge which lies in the challenges posed by the levels of subjectivity inherent in how we see, what we see, and the difficulty in measuring visual sustainability. The aim of this study is to explore the philosophy behind how we are sustained by what we see and its relevance to urban design. By using a mixed methods approach, the research shows how a practical application of Bergson’s philosophy can be reconciled with urban design at a strategic level to establish an operational logic for understanding urban environments, one which does not require us to identify the meaning or even what it is people have looked at. The findings suggest that urban density plays less of a role than we might expect and what is more influential are the elements that hold people’s attention, in other words, levels of urban activity. The variables comparison points to the proposal that interaction types have a role to play in urban design strategy. To understand visual sustainability better we need to understand three things. Firstly, the role duration plays in the types of interaction we have with our surroundings. Secondly, how elements that we cannot see exist on every site, and are important in understanding not only existing conditions properly but the potential for development. Thirdly, that these elements that we cannot see are valid, real structures—as real as the physical structures which act as proxies for them. The main finding of this study is the suggestion that visual interaction types are the building blocks of visual sustainability when considered in the context of urban design strategy. What difference this makes depends on the level of analysis—whether student or practitioner, commercially oriented, in terms of spatial health and well-being, or at a more abstract level, in personal development and growth. But the overarching consideration is that interaction types are able to reveal where the real city lies and by real city is meant the city we pay attention to. The emphasis going forward must be on an effective implementation of urban design strategy by including interaction type because, as city dwellers, it is we who stand to benefit the most.
I decide that having computers understand moving image sequences could be a PhD thesis topic. I make a pilgrimage to MIT to hear firsthand from AI Lab head Patrick Winston if he knows of anyone else working in the area. Armed with some indirect assurances that there were not, I commence working on moving image analysis as a thesis topic. I spent considerable time in the Toronto library to convince myself that psychologists hadn’t already figured this out. I find fascinating works by Michotte and Gibson, but nothing directly useful.
To explain why cognition evolved requires, first and foremost, an analysis of what qualifies as an explanation. In terms of physics, causes are forces and consequences are changes in states of substance. Accordingly, any sequence of events, from photon absorption to focused awareness, chemical reactions to collective behavior, or from neuronal avalanches to niche adaptation, is understood as an evolution from one state to another toward thermodynamic balance where all forces finally tally each other. From this scale-free physics perspective, energy flows through those means and mechanisms, as if naturally selecting them, that bring about balance in the least time. Then, cognitive machinery is also understood to have emerged from the universal drive toward a free energy minimum, equivalent to an entropy maximum. The least-time nature of thermodynamic processes results in the ubiquitous patterns in data, also characteristic of cognitive processes, i.e., skewed distributions that accumulate sigmoidally and, therefore, follow mostly power laws. In this vein, thermodynamics derived from the statistical physics of open systems explains how evolution led to cognition and provides insight, for instance, into cognitive ease, biases, dissonance, development, plasticity, and subjectivity.
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