From the current issue of Books & Culture:
Our surroundings call forth certain behavior. We tend to act like students when we step in a classroom, and we tend to act like shoppers at the mall. This is . . . the logic of 'ecological psychology': I am not a wholly separate entity from my surroundings, but rather, my [surroundings] and I 'form an interdependent behavior setting.'
That's what I call a "perfect bite of knowledge." (1) It's brand new to me, though I suspect it's fundamental to many people. (2) It rings true, almost to the point of common sense. (3) It's relevant: it helps me and explains a lot about myself. (4) It comes from a source I generally trust.
It tells me, for instance, why I've always insisted on having a study/library in my house, where the kids toys don't roam and the kids themselves are vowed to civilized behavior when they enter. It explains why I reserve it for study: reading, thought, writing; why I feel like I "dirty it" when I use it to work on projects from my day job.
It explains a lot, but in only a few words. It makes me want to learn more about this thing called "ecological psychology." Yes indeed: a perfect bite of knowledge.
