Forest school creates a certain sense of adventure maybe a sense of danger, the affordance of a certain layout can develop and promote self-esteem and confidence. The psychologist Gibson (1979) suggested that observation of objects affords to what the object actually does. The theory of affordance was developed by Gibson (1979), this concept is a component in his ecological approach to psychology. Gibson’s (1979) theory is loosely based on Turing (1936) theory, which is a natural movement for exploring and questioning matters that arise in ecological psychology. Characteristics of affordances are seen by Gibson (1977) to be properties that examines the relationship of an animal and the environment, however, it was Gibson’s wife that developed affordance research further with her work on child development.
For example, a child, moving an object affords to carrying and lifting, creating a fire pit affords warmth and burning, and using tools affords grasping and the benefits of this outdoor environment affords behaviour. The theory of affordances also has its critics, Chemero (2009, p9, as cited in Dotov et al. 2012) argues that non-specific information affects the perceiver’s judgment therefore creating a non-reliable source of behaviour.
“An affordance cuts across the dichotomy of subjective-objective and helps us to understand its inadequacy. It is equally a fact of the environment and a fact of behaviour. It is both physical and psychical, yet neither. An affordance points both ways, to the environment and to the observer.”
Gibson (1979) as quoted in Dotov et al. (2012)
Lisa
For example, a child, moving an object affords to carrying and lifting, creating a fire pit affords warmth and burning, and using tools affords grasping and the benefits of this outdoor environment affords behaviour. The theory of affordances also has its critics, Chemero (2009, p9, as cited in Dotov et al. 2012) argues that non-specific information affects the perceiver’s judgment therefore creating a non-reliable source of behaviour.
“An affordance cuts across the dichotomy of subjective-objective and helps us to understand its inadequacy. It is equally a fact of the environment and a fact of behaviour. It is both physical and psychical, yet neither. An affordance points both ways, to the environment and to the observer.”
Gibson (1979) as quoted in Dotov et al. (2012)
Lisa
Interestingly, a 2010 study made a surprising discovery when testing how aged 3-5 year old children used possible affordances in free play. The study compared play in a playground environment with natural environment, and found that "there is no difference in the level of physically active play" between the two environments. (Storli & Hagen, 2010, p.1) The study found that physical activity from day to day was unique to the individual child, irrespective of the setting. This seems to indicate that the environment does not hold a large affordance for the children's physical development potential. this is interesting, as a natural environment is known for it's rougher terrain compared to a playground setting.
The children were studied for six months, which enabled a large amount of data. However, only sixteen children were studied, potentially rendering the results unreliable due to the small target audience. Additionally, the study only focused on physical activity, and although the results were surprising, it did not enlighten any other opportunities which the environments afforded. such as social and imaginative affordances. The study cites Kytta (2004) when it argues that "children’s ability to perceive affordances develops systematically as they grow and learn new physical skills" (Storli & Hagen, 2010, p.4)
Laura
Jenkabar (2014)
The children were studied for six months, which enabled a large amount of data. However, only sixteen children were studied, potentially rendering the results unreliable due to the small target audience. Additionally, the study only focused on physical activity, and although the results were surprising, it did not enlighten any other opportunities which the environments afforded. such as social and imaginative affordances. The study cites Kytta (2004) when it argues that "children’s ability to perceive affordances develops systematically as they grow and learn new physical skills" (Storli & Hagen, 2010, p.4)
Laura
Jenkabar (2014)