How do observers perceive the properties of objects according to Gibson's theory?

In Gibson's theory, perception is fundamentally about direct interaction with the environment, which implies a more immediate and experiential engagement with the features of objects. Specifically, the idea is that observers perceive properties of objects through the structured light that they detect, meaning that perception occurs in a bottom-up fashion based on the information available from the light waves reflecting off objects in the environment.

This structured light provides crucial details about the characteristics of objects, such as texture, size, shape, and distance, which the perceiver can directly detect without requiring extensive cognitive processing or interpretation. This contrasts with approaches that depend on previous experiences or abstract symbols, as Gibson emphasized the ecological validity of perception—meaning it is grounded in direct interaction with the world rather than being mediated by cognitive constructs. Thus, understanding objects in Gibson’s framework is very much about what is available in the perceptual field at any given moment, making the role of structured light essential in forming accurate perceptions.