NUMBER 41 This Week’s Citation Classic OCTOBER 8, 1979 Gibson E J. Principles of perceptual learning and development. New York: Appleton- Century-Crofts, 1969. 537 p. This book surveyed traditional and current “It is gratifying, therefore, to see that the theories of perceptual learning and problems discussed in this book and the presented the author’s theory, that attempt to provide a frame-work for perceptual learning is a process of understanding them have had an impact. differentiation of distinctive features of objects, permanent features of the spatial The book alone, however, was not layout and invariants of events. The theory responsible for the progress that has taken is applied to phylogenetic development of place since its publication in our knowledge perception over species and especially to of perceptual development. There is always development of perceiving objects, an element of luck in the success of a book or places, events, and pictorial and symbolic a theory. There has to be an audience ready information in children. [The Science to listen and experimental progress depends ® ® Citation Index (SCI ) and the Social on concomitant advances in technology. Sciences Citation Index™(SSCI™) indicate that this book has been cited over 365 Fortunately, the theory and these factors times since 1969.] appeared together at the right time. Psychologists were dissatisfied with S-R learning theory and were ready to pay attention to a theory of perceptual learning. At the same time, new methods of studying Eleanor J. Gibson perception in infants were being worked out Department of Psychology and a whole new field of research opened Cornell University up. Ithaca, NY 14853 “A third factor explains why this book is September 6, 1979 widely cited. It has an important field of application. While I was writing the book, I was conducting research on processes involved in learning to read. Reading was “Learning by perceiving the world around making a comeback as an area for scientific us, its permanent properties, its furnishings study. Granting agencies were generous with and ongoing events has always been of funds, and my own work made the interest to philosophers, and deservedly so. connection between a theory of perceptual Where else has an adult acquired the learning and learning to read. information about his environment that “It is interesting to consider progress in the permits him to act adaptively in it and upon book’s field since its publication. The theory it? Yet modern experimental psychologists of perceptual learning in adults has generally ignored the problem, although progressed scarcely at all. Work on reading their interests for many years were has burgeoned. There has been a surge of dominated by learning. Motor learning, research on perception in infants and very verbal learning, affective learning, and young children, accounting for many of the simple contingency learning were studied citations. I have recently directed my own intensively, but comprehensive books on research to this area, and I find that the learning never mentioned perceptual theory generating my experiments is learning. Developmental psychology, a reflected more and more in work of others on younger branch of the science than similar problems. As we discover more about experimental psychology, was almost early development, it will be possible to equally negligent, but for better reasons — refine the theory of perceptual development no one had devised feasible, reliable and to provide guidelines for applied work. methods for studying early perceptual “A recent review of the subject can be found development. in Review of Child Development Research.”1 1. Applelon T, Clifton R & Goldberg S. The development of behavioral competence in infancy. Review of child development research. (Horowitz F D. ed.) Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1975. Vol. 4, p. 101-85. 148.