Harry Heft

Prof. Heft’s scholarly interests primarily concern topics in the related areas of environmental and ecological psychology. His book “Ecological Psychology in Context” (LEA, 2001) elucidates the theoretical and philosophical foundations of ecological psychology and some of its connections to current work in cultural psychology.

Much of his research has examined the process by which humans find their way through the environment, with its focus on identifying the environmental information that is utilized in learning a path or route. On-going research in this vein is attempting to understand how this route knowledge can be employed to promote understanding of the overall configuration of a place. He has also conducted research in the past on the perception of affordances (i.e., the perceived functional meaning of objects and environmental features), the development of children’s navigational skills, environmental aesthetics, and the effects of noise in the home on cognitive development. (taken from https://denison.edu/people/harry-heft)

Louise Barrett

Dr. Louise Barrett was trained in ecology and anthropology at University College London, and has taught in anthropology, biology and psychology departments in the UK and Canada. She is currently a Professor of Psychology and Canada Research Chair in Cognition, Evolution & Behaviour at the University of Lethbridge, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Over the past 25 years, she has conducted long-term field studies of baboons and vervet monkeys in South Africa, in collaboration with Professor Peter Henzi. Her research centers on how ecology shapes patterns of sociality, brain size, and cognitive evolution. She is also interested in a biocultural approach to human behaviour, particularly with respect to fertility and reproductive decision-making in both non-industrial and industrial societies. Her work draws on the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, philosophy, cognitive science and behavioural ecology. (taken from https://www.ulethbridge.ca/alumni/dr-louise-barrett)

Jytte Bang & Sofie Pedersen

Sofie Pedersen, PhD, is associate professor at the Department of People and Technology at Roskilde University, Denmark. Her work is centered in the intersection of, and aims at bridging, ecological psychology, and cultural-historical activity theory, and she is particularly interested in the meaning of the environment in relation to how developmental dynamics unfold in various institutional settings, such as high school or social-psychiatric settings.

Ludger van Dijk

Ludger van Dijk is a philosopher of psychology interested in the theory and history of psychology, particularly of ecological psychology, in pragmatism, STS and the philosophy of cognitive science. He holds PhD degrees in both Philosophy and in Human Movement Sciences. In 2017 the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) awarded his work with a postdoctoral fellowship.

His research focuses on developing a philosophical psychology that acknowledges and explores the indeterminacies of the world that we share across generations and with multiple species. This includes such topics as the temporality of the living world, perception, action and the notion of information, sociomaterial practices, language and reflective thought, and their various interconnections. It also leads to questions about the nature of inquiry in psychological science, its methods and responsibilities. (adapted from https://www.ludgervandijk.com/)