Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!nike!ll-xn!mit-amt!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcc6!calmasd!dbm
From: dbm@calmasd.CALMA.UUCP (Brian Millar)
Newsgroups: net.ai,net.philosophy,net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Gibson's theory of perception
Message-ID: <2011@calmasd.CALMA.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Jul-86 21:22:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: calmasd.2011
Posted: Thu Jul 24 21:22:43 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Jul-86 10:33:13 EDT
References: <1782@mtuxo.UUCP> <3483@sdcc3.ucsd.EDU>
Organization: G.E. CALMA R&D, San Diego, CA
Lines: 21
Summary: focus on ecological information
Xref: mnetor net.ai:1075 net.philosophy:2210 net.cog-eng:250

Gibson stressed the point that a theory of perception will focus
on the INFORMATION handled by a perceptual system.  Thus, the 
central processor does not "look at" the retina, and does not
have to "re-invert" the retinal image.  Rather, the retina and
central processor form an information handling system which
detects the information/structure in the light pattern, and
in the physical terrain which generated that light pattern by
reflection.  To "crack the code" of the visual mechanism requires
first knowing what the messages are which it handles.
Physiological investigations can benefit from prior perceptual
investigations which have determined the basic discriminations of a
perceptual system.

Gibson also stressed the point that human visual systems may be
responsive to highly complex visual patterns which are found
frequently in nature.  A primary example of this is the texture
gradient for a surface in 3-D space.  A more complex example is
a moving, changing texture pattern, as when an observer moves
over a surface in 3-D space.  He was impressed by the regularity
of these patterns while riding trains as a youngster, watching
the rails and ties disappear toward the vanishing point.