Eleanor Gibson
By: Lourdes Costanzo
Background:
Eleanor's Field in Psychology
Psychological Theory:
In 1960 Eleanor became best known for her experiment called the "Visual Cliff". Eleanor partnered with Richard Walk, a Cornell professor. Their researched involved rats and their want in getting more use out of these animals. The visual cliff was a sheet of glass with patterned paper underneath. Directly under the glass on the near side was the paper, and several feet beneath the glass was on the far side of the glass. Their expectation in this experiment was that the rats would walk on the near and far sides, but unfortunately this experiment did not work. Both researchers then used the same method, but instead of rats they used babies. Although mothers were there to encourage the babies, only 3 babies out of 30 crawled onto the deep side of the glass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WvtEFJGp-8 . Eleanor's main focus then became perceptual learning, where she researched for the next twelve years and later on published Principles of Perceptual Learning and Development. This book received a Century Award for that year and later on became a "citation classic".