Definition: Ecological Psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on studying the relationship between humans and their environment, with an emphasis on how perception, cognition, and behavior are influenced by the ecological context. It seeks to understand how individuals perceive and interact with their surroundings, and how this interaction shapes their thoughts, emotions, and actions.

1. Perception: This subfield examines how individuals perceive and interpret information from their environment, including the role of sensory systems, perception-action cycles, and affordances.

2. Cognition: This subfield explores how cognitive processes, such as attention, memory, problem-solving, and decision-making, are influenced by the ecological context in which individuals are situated. It investigates how individuals acquire and use knowledge within their environment.

3. Social Ecology: This subfield focuses on understanding the social dynamics and interactions within a given environment. It examines how social structures, cultural beliefs, and social relationships influence individual behavior and ecological systems.

4. Environmental Psychology: This subfield investigates the relationship between individuals and the built environment, including how architectural design, urban planning, and natural landscapes impact human behavior, well-being, and quality of life. It examines the psychological effects of physical spaces.

5. Human Factors and Ergonomics: This subfield studies the design and optimization of products, systems, and environments to ensure their usability, efficiency, and safety for human users. It aims to enhance human performance and well-being within specific ecological contexts.

– Direct Perception: According to ecological psychology, perception is a process of directly perceiving information from the environment, rather than relying solely on mental representations. It emphasizes the role of perceptual information in guiding action and behavior.

– Affordances: Affordances refer to the possibilities for action that the environment offers to individuals based on their perception. They are the functional properties of the environment that allow individuals to perceive and interact with objects, surfaces, and events in their environment.

– Ecological Validity: Ecological validity refers to the extent to which research findings accurately represent the real-world situations and contexts in which humans typically perceive and act. Ecological psychologists strive to ensure that their studies reflect the complexity and dynamics of natural environments.

– Behavior Settings: Behavior settings are environments or contexts that consistently elicit specific patterns of behavior. They can include home, workplace, school, and other social or physical environments that shape and influence individual behavior through their specific features and affordances.

– Perception-Action Cycle: The perception-action cycle is a fundamental concept in ecological psychology that highlights the reciprocal relationship between perception and action. It proposes that perception and action are deeply intertwined, and that perception guides action while action provides feedback for further perception and adaptation.

Ecological Psychology seeks to bridge the gap between the mind and the environment, emphasizing the importance of studying behavior and cognition within their ecological context. It provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex interactions between individuals and their surroundings.