The Role of Affordances in the Evolutionary Process Reconsidered

Abstract

Gibson asserted that affordances are the primary objects of perception. Although this assertion is especially attractive when considered in the context of evolutionary theory, the role that affordances play in the evolution of animals’ perceptual and action systems is still unclear. Trying to combine the insights of both Gibson and Darwin, Reed developed a selectionist view in which affordances are conceived as resources that exert selection pressures, giving rise to animals equipped with action systems. Reed’s advocacy of selectionism, however, has been criticized on several grounds, among which is an inconsistency with recent trends in evolutionary thinking. Current developments in evolutionary biology indeed ask for a reconsideration of the role of affordances in the evolution of perceptual and action systems. Adopting a niche construction perspective, we reexamine the role of affordances in the evolutionary process. It is argued that affordances and their utilization, destruction, and creation are central elements in evolutionary dynamics. The implications for ecological psychology and evolutionary theory are explored.