Affordance Theory

Recently I stumbled upon the word affordance. The significance of this word is still becoming more apparent to me, but my initial findings are scantly noted below. Initially I found this related to interaction design and usability (Norman), but quickly realized there are many dimensions to this theory as it relates to many disciplines including but not limited to language acquisition.

J.J. Gibson, an American psychologist, coined the term "affordance" in 1977 in his book, The Theory of Affordances. Basically, an affordance is an interactive opportunity of an object or environment. For example a handle on a pan affords grasping or an obstruction free, flat surface affords a safe walk.

James J. Gibson (1977), The Theory of Affordances. In Perceiving, Acting, and Knowing, Eds. Robert Shaw and John Bransford

Not available on Amazon, but a preliminary description of afforance is available:
A Preliminary Description and Classification of Affordances

James J. Gibson (1979), The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception


Also Multiple Language Learning in the Light of the Theory of Affordances
Good research paper (please note that the link is to a pdf).

"Motivation is a dimension of language learning that is notoriously difficult
to study. Hence the wide variety of perspectives on the issue and on the
paradigm shifts that are claimed by some to have taken place in this domain
(for discussion see e.g. Crookes & Schmidt, 1991; Dörnyei, 2001; Gardiner,
2005; Ushioda, 2006). However, there is wide consensus on the notion that
motivation is enhanced by goal-setting (cf. Deci, 1995; Deci & Ryan, 1985)..."