#43: Environment is Not in the Head: Why everyone's talking about Affordances with Harry Heft

Send a love messageA look into the ideas of ecological psychology with legendary Harry Heft. Known for his renowned contributions to environmental and ecological psychology, Heft discusses the concept of affordances, a term coined by JJ Gibson, and its application across various fields. Heft traces the intellectual lineage from William James to Gibson, emphasizing a relational rather than dualistic approach to understanding perception and action. The conversation spans affordances in cultural contexts, the significance of immediate experience, the importance of teaching and the dynamic relationship between humans and their environment.Video here.Show notes here.00:00 Introduction to Relational Thinking00:45 Affordances and Cultural Domain01:20 Navigating Without Maps01:42 Animacy and Historical Context02:09 Welcome and Guest Introduction02:54 Exploring Affordances with Harry Heft07:25 Upcoming Conversations and Reflections08:46 Harry Heft's Journey into Environmental Psychology12:38 Understanding Ecological Psychology21:08 Behaviorism and Perception37:54 Affordances in Design and Interaction40:59 The Power of Affordances in AI and Robotics42:54 Affordances in Cultural Contexts43:58 Wayfinding and Navigation: A Deeper Dive47:04 Cognitive Maps and Perception01:00:26 The Evolution of Gibson's Theories01:12:30 Teaching and Environmental Awareness01:17:30 Acts of Love in Teaching and WritingHarry's book on James and GibsonAffordances in the Body"Prof. Heft has been on the Denison faculty since 1976. His graduate training was in an interdisciplinary program concerning the relationship between psychological processes and the environment. At Denison, he has been a recipient of the Charles A. Brickman Award for Teaching Excellence. He has also been elected as a Fellow in both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. Dr. Heft serves on the Editorial Boards of the journals “Environment & Behavior” and “William James Studies,” and he is the Book Review Editor for the “Journal of Environmental Psychology.” He teaches courses in environmental psychology, history and systems of psychology, and cultural psychology.'Full intro and notes here.Care is not the opposite of love. It is the very urge of life. 'Caring for what?' is the primary question. That we have a choice about what we care for and how is what makes us human, but it's quite the challenge and responsibility. Let's help one another handle it.Support the showBuy Holding Paradox: The Navigational Approach to Mind and Consciousness by Andrea HiottSign up for Making Ways newsletter and projects.Please rate and review with love. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Substack.