An Argument Framework for Ecological Psychology and Architecture Design

Abstract

Applied Building Sciences Ecological PsychologyThis article focuses on the first step of the scientific process; the explication of a theoretical framework that motivates specific research questions and empirical methodologies used to investigate a topic of inquiry. The choice of theory has consequences for the rest of the scientific process, from hypothesis generation to research methods. Research into architecture and design should begin with a theory of human perception and motor control. A major goal of architecture and design is creating artifacts that people will interact with in a safe and productive manner, and the critical elements of human interaction include the faculties of perception and motor control. Multiple theories exist. This article introduces ecological psychology, a theory that has not been thoroughly described within the architecture and design literature.Ecological psychology emerged in the 1970s as an alternative to traditional theories that treat perception as a cognitive process. According to previous theories, vision involves twodimensional images formed at the back of the eyes. Size, distance, and other aspects of the three-dimensional world are lost, and with sensation being inherently meaningless, meaning must be added by the mind. Perception is not of the world itself but an internal mental construction. In contrast, ecological psychology investigates how meaningful information related to the three-dimensional world is not lost but conveyed to the nervous system.Ecological psychology begins with an analysis of the surfaces and substances that form the environment, followed by an analysis of the energy arrays that convey information about those newideapsych.2011.12.003.