The Origins and Abiding Signature of the Ecological Theory of Social Perception in Social Psychology Research: A Tribute to Reuben Baron

In this tribute to Reuben Baron, we provide some history regarding how the first author came to collaborate with Reuben on our 1983 publication of Toward an Ecological Theory of Social Perception. We then briefly review the major tenets of the theory and discuss some examples of Reuben's research that supported those tenets as well as his theorizing that expanded on them. Next, we provide evidence that, in the decades following publication of the ecological theory, its signature can be found in social psychology research in the domains of social perception accuracy and the stimulus information that underpins social perceptions, be they accurate or not. We also discuss implications of implementing paradigms that have active perceivers, a central directive of ecological theory that is not reflected in existing research. We conclude with suggestions for future research necessary to provide better tests of the validity of tenets of the ecological theory of social perception.