Open AccessJ.J. Gibson and Marshall McLuhan: A survey of terminology and a proposed extension of the theory of affordances
Author(s) -
Overhill Heidi
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
proceedings of the american society for information science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1550-8390
pISSN - 0044-7870
DOI - 10.1002/meet.14504901340
Subject(s) - affordance , terminology , object (grammar) , extension (predicate logic) , meaning (existential) , variety (cybernetics) , action (physics) , confusion , term (time) , epistemology , computer science , cognitive science , cognition , human–computer interaction , psychology , communication , sociology , linguistics , artificial intelligence , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , psychoanalysis , programming language
Psychologist James J. Gibson coined the word “affordance” in 1979, to describe the relationship between the abilities of a living creature, and features in the environment that afford action for those abilities. An affordance, therefore, is physically real, but is defined as an affordance only in reference to a particular creature. This term has been widely adopted, and is now found in design, education, and cognitive science. Sometimes it is used in Gibson's original meaning, but it has also been applied to broader discussions of social and cognitive activities, resulting in a certain confusion of terminology. A short summary reveals the variety of current uses for the term, and goes further to propose that this range may be simplified by applying Marshall McLuhan's observation that “media are the extensions of mankind.” In that analysis, an object like a cup is an extension of cupped hands, because, like hands, it holds water. Defining some objects as body‐extensions makes it clear that affordances can be modified in two ways: by changing either features that are available in the environment, or the extended abilities of the user. This distinction simplifies the description of different types of affordances, and may help designers in planning effective experiences for users.