| FORM: | ARTICLE |
| Author: | Natsoulas, Thomas |
| Affiliation: | U California, Davis, USA |
| Title: | “Why do things look as they do?” Some Gibsonian answers to Koffka’s question. |
| Source: | Philosophical Psychology, 1991. 4 (2): p.183-202 |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | Thesaurus terms: Phenomenology Visual Perception Theories |
| Added Keywords: | application of Gibsonian visual perception theory to K. Koffka’s question of phenomenal appearance of objects |
| Classification Code: | Visual Perception (2323) |
| Population Terms: Human | |
| Abstract: | Examines the relation, within J. J. Gibson’s (1979) perception theory, between 2 questions that Gibson raised: (1) how one sees how to do things and (2) K. Koffka’s (1935) question, why things look as they do. Although Gibson considered Koffka’s question to be a crucial test for any psychological theory of visual perceiving, Gibson did not explicitly defend his ecological approach with reference to Koffka’s question. Certain subsidiary parts of Gibson’s book suggest a place in Gibsonian perception theory for the phenomenal looks of things that are visually perceived. Some Gibsonian answers and reactions to Koffka’s question are considered and it is argued that the phenomenal looks of things play a crucial role in Gibson’s account of the visual control of locomotion. ((c) 1999 APA/PsycINFO, all rights reserved) |