Ecological psychology is a branch of psychology that emphasizes the relationship between individuals and their environment, focusing on how perception, action, and cognition are shaped by the ecological context in which they occur. It seeks to understand behavior in terms of the dynamic interactions between organisms and their surroundings, considering the environmental affordances and constraints that influence behavior.

Key aspects of ecological psychology include:

1. Gibsonian Approach: Ecological psychology is influenced by the work of James J. Gibson, who proposed a theory of perception based on the concept of affordances. According to Gibson, affordances are the action possibilities or opportunities for interaction that the environment offers to an organism. Ecological psychologists study how individuals perceive and respond to affordances in their environment, shaping their behavior and experiences.
2. Direct Perception: Ecological psychology challenges the traditional view of perception as a passive process of receiving and interpreting sensory information. Instead, it emphasizes the active engagement of the perceiver with the environment, highlighting the direct perception of affordances without the need for complex cognitive processing or internal representations. Perception is seen as attuned to the ecological information available in the environment, enabling adaptive action in real-time.
3. Embodied Cognition: Ecological psychology emphasizes the role of the body in perception, action, and cognition. It views the body as inseparable from the environment, serving as the interface through which individuals engage with their surroundings and perceive affordances for action. Embodied cognition theories within ecological psychology explore how bodily movements, sensations, and experiences shape perception and cognitive processing.
4. Perception-Action Coupling: Ecological psychology emphasizes the tight coupling between perception and action, viewing them as interdependent processes that unfold in coordination with each other. Individuals perceive information in the environment in relation to their goals and intentions, guiding their actions and behaviors in a continuous cycle of perception-action coupling. This perspective highlights the functional significance of perception-action links in adaptive behavior.
5. Ecological Validity: Ecological psychology emphasizes the importance of studying behavior in naturalistic settings that capture the complexity and richness of real-world environments. Researchers employ methods such as field observations, ecological momentary assessment, and virtual reality simulations to investigate behavior within ecologically valid contexts, avoiding artificial laboratory settings that may limit the ecological validity of findings.
6. Environmental Psychology: Ecological psychology shares commonalities with environmental psychology, which explores the relationship between individuals and their built and natural environments. Both fields investigate how environmental factors influence behavior, well-being, and quality of life, although ecological psychology focuses more specifically on the perceptual and action-oriented aspects of this relationship.

Overall, ecological psychology offers a unique perspective on human behavior, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between individuals and their environment. By studying behavior in ecologically relevant contexts and focusing on the affordances and constraints present in the environment, ecological psychology provides insights into the adaptive nature of perception, action, and cognition, informing theories of behavior and applications in various domains such as design, education, and rehabilitation.