Perceptual learning: Differentiation or enrichment?
Gibson, J. J., & Gibson, E. J. (1955)
Psychological Review, 62, 32-41
- Nominator's statement
- Traditionally, the problem of perceptual learning has been "how much is learned?" Sharing the assumption that we must go beyond the information given to the senses, nativists and empiricists have argued whether the enrichment we provide for meage r sensory inputs is primarily innate or acquired and hence, whether much or only a little of perception is learned. Eleanor and James Gibson argued against both types of enrichment theories, proposing a radically different specificity or differentiation theory according to which the information available for perception is indefinitely rich and detailed. Thus, perceptual learning involves processes of differentiating variables of stimulation rather than of adding meanings to impoverished stimulus input. This was a completely new conception of perceptual learning that opened up novel and fruitful areas for study. Eleanor Gibson is largely responsible for the development of the field of perceptual learning.
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