Gibson and Walk- Aims and Context

Created by: Lois Howson
Created on: 28-04-14 09:38

Why were questions such as "Is depth perception innate or learned?" seen as important?

There was increasing interest in evolutionary psychology and the nature-nurture debate.

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What did nativists claim?

Depth perception was inborn, even though it may only appear as a person matures. The survival of humans & animals depends on having depth perception at birth, or soon after. Eg babies need to avoid the top of the stairs, animals the edge of cliffs.

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What did empiricists claim?

Depth perception was learned through experience.

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Who was Yerkes (1904)?

Compared aquatic&land turtles dp by placing them on an elevated board above a net. He found aquatic stepped off more than land-ie their dp was not as good as land.Cause aquatic have evolved without developing dp cause they can't 'fall' in the sea.

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Who was Lashley?

Compared rat's ability to jump across gaps, when 1/2 reared in dark & 1/2 in light. He found both could jump accurately (he did train rats though) This suggests that depth & distance perception may be innate, as G&W suggested.

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What were G&W's aims?

1)Is dp innate or learned through experience, if innate it should be apparent when infant has indi loco. 2)Investigate dp in human infants and young animals in order to demonstrate that it was innate from indi loco across different species.

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What did nativists claim?

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Card 3

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What did empiricists claim?

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Card 4

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Who was Yerkes (1904)?

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Card 5

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Who was Lashley?

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Gibson and Walk- Aims and Context