ABSTRACT
Bernstein’s earlier work, from the 1930s to the mid 1950s, emphasizes the circular nature of the organization of motor control. In ecological psychology, this style of thinking was taken as a starting point for an ecological theory of motor control and coordination (Turvey, 1977 & 1990). In the mid 1950s, however, Bernstein came to realize that his earlier work had been essentially incomplete, i.e., it had focused on reaction instead of action. He came to formulate a theory of “activity” (i.e., “action”) which superseded his earlier theory of “coordination”. It is our contention that the ecological movement at large has missed this development. It will be argued that Bernstein’s theory of “activity’ contains elements that are of great relevance to contemporary understanding of movement actions.
