James Gibson's Model Of Sensory Perception

James Gibson (1966) devised a model of grouping the senses, which have proven more productive in the application of design. Broken down into the visual system, the auditory system, the taste-smell system, the basic orienting system and the haptic system, this model considers space as a fundamental element of sensory perception.

The visual system, typically regarded as the principal method of gathering information from the surrounding environment, playing a crucial role in spatial perception in basic human survival. Gibson (1966) states that “vision is useful for (1) detecting the layout of the surrounding, (2) detecting changes, and (3) detecting and controlling locomotion”. The visual system evolved in man as a survival system in nature,

The visual affiliation toward nature is fundamental in man today, with most having a preference for a natural view (Kellert S. R., 2008), creating a visual link with nature while aiding in orientation. “Vision is considered to have the greatest precision for perceiving space and the environment at distance” (B Tauke, 2011). The interaction, or lack there of, between the visual system and the natural world can have affect on the physical and psychological sense on well-being, while visual contact with nature has shown to have positive benefits (Kellert S. R., 2008). These effects can be stimulated by the play of colour and material, evoking a response from man, the response to a natural view or the play of light and shadow as a source of aesthetic pleasure. Light and shadow can be used to aesthetic effect, but can also play a part in the coherent

The human ear does possess the ability to physically shut out sound; it does possess the ability to focus on what sound to process. The auditory system is not merely to detect sound but to “pick up the direction of an event, permitting orientation to it, and the nature of the event, permitting identification of it. Its proprioceptive function is to register the sounds made by the individual, especially in vocalizing” (Gibson, 1966). For basic human survival, the auditory system can perceive distance, orientation, social interaction and spatial understanding between ones self and the world. The auditory system holds remarkable potential for spatial definition, the reverberation of sound describing the confines and expanses and material in space (B Tauke, 2011). Not only can the auditory system spatially describe a volume, it can aid in navigation through said space “transform the acoustic attributes of objects and geometries into a useful three-dimensional internal image of an external space….Listeners who must move around in places without light are likely to….recognize open doors, nearby walls and local objects” (B Blesser, 2007). While the auditory system in architecture is often left for the design of concert halls and other large public spaces, none the less it can (1) provide escape from noise pollution, (2) establish zones of privacy, (3) give warnings and (4) enhance sound pleasure (B Tauke,