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Ecological Psychology
A branch of psychology that focuses on the environment to facilitate the study of human behavior and adaptation, and development. According to ecological psychology, human behavior and development can be understood best in terms of its links to environmental contexts and situations in which the individual is immersed. Bronfenbrenner, for instance, stresses viewing human adaptation and development in terms of a sociocultural context. In a somewhat different vein, James and Eleanor Gibson suggest that the environment is the source of perceptual learning and development; by proactively exploring one's environment in the service of seeking new information about the properties of objects and events (affordances or opportunities for action), one's learning and likelihood of adaptation are said to increase. For more information, see Bronfenbrenner and ...