Dialogue:A new wave of human science

Biohistory journal, Winter, 2002

Biohistory journal, Winter, 2002: Index >
A new wave of human science – Ecological Psycology

A new wave of human science – Ecological Psycology
Masato Sasakii and Keiko Nakamura

Masato Sasaki, Tokyo University
Keiko Nakamura, Gneral Director, JT Biohistory Research Hall

    Biology has entered the field of psychology looking for the spirit, and research is being conducted into the function of the brain. We must think, however, that the spirit is part of the relationship with the entire body, as well as that which surrounds the body. The adaptable and diverse behavior exhibited by organisms is fascinating, when we understand the term affordance, which considers the potential that exists from something presented by the surroundings. These concepts were created in the United States, but the interest in them seems stronger in Europe and Japan. Did Darwin in fact see affordance with the earthworm? Interesting!
[Keiko Nakamura]

After the Dialogue
Masato Sasaki

    Gibson defined the domain of ecological psychology as comprising biology, physics, and psychology. I keenly sense every day that psychology alone is insufficient for this domain, which deals with animal life, to mature. Ms. Nakamura pointed out that the combination of diversity and adaptability were the key words cutting into the behavioral world at this level. I want to learn from this sort of behavioral research in the area of biology, but there doesn’t seem to be anything of worth yet. Recently, with the change in analytic units in scientific research, I would like to think that an effective combination is not impossible.

Masato Sasaki
    Born in Hokkaido in 1952, Sasaki received his doctorate from the University of Tsukuba. After serving as an assistant professor in the School of Human Sciences at Waseda University, Sasaki was named a professor in the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies at the University of Tokyo, a position he still holds. His specialty is ecological psychology.

Dialogue

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After the Dialogue Masato Sasaki

	Gibson defined the domain of ecological psychology as comprising biology, physics, and psychology. I keenly sense every day that psychology alone is insufficient for this domain, which deals with animal life, to mature. Ms. Nakamura pointed out that the combination of diversity and adaptability were the key words cutting into the behavioral world at this level. I want to learn from this sort of behavioral research in the area of biology, but there doesn’t seem to be anything of worth yet. Recently, with the change in analytic units in scientific research, I would like to think that an effective combination is not impossible.