Affordances as Probabilistic Functions: Implications for Development, Perception, and Decisions for Action

作者：Franchak John; Adolph Karen^*

来源：Ecological Psychology, 2014, 26(1-2): 109-124.

DOI：10.1080/10407413.2014.874923

We propose a new way to describe affordances for action. Previous characterizations of affordances treat action possibilities as binary categorieseither possible or impossibleseparated by a critical point. Here, we show that affordances are probabilistic functions, thus accounting for variability in motor performance. By measuring an affordance function, researchers can describe the likelihood of success for every unit of the environment. We demonstrate how to fit an affordance function to performance data using established psychophysical procedures and illustrate how the threshold and variability parameters describe different possibilities for action. Finally, we discuss the implications of probabilistic affordances for development, perception, and decision making.

• 出版日期2014-4-3