<p>This paper investigates prelinguistic perception and its cognitive conditions by discussing four key concepts: <i>Umwelt</i> (Jakob von Uexküll), affordance (James J. Gibson), semiosis (Charles S. Peirce), and knowledge (Karl R. Popper). While these theoretical approaches all address the informational relationship between organism and environment, we argue for a reciprocally delimited understanding of their domains. We posit that these concepts describe distinct, potentially hierarchically nested, strata or levels of reality. <i>Umwelt</i> focuses on the subjective and species-specific world of an organism, emphasizing perceptual and behavioral capacities that can be described by physiological coding mechanisms. Affordances, conversely, highlight objective functional possibilities inherent in the environment for a particular organism. Semiosis encompasses noncoded (and therefore intraspecific) associations, which we link to psychological learning capacities. Knowledge is produced by trial-and-error processes that select between cognitive variations, whether physiological or psychological in nature. By extracting or restructuring the essential elements of these concepts, we aim to: (1) unpack their originality in comprehending nonlinguistic perception and cognition; (2) explore potential interactions and overlaps between the processes they describe; and (3) integrate these diverging concepts within the framework of learning and adaptative processes. This integrated info-semio-epistemic approach will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how organisms perceive, interpret, and adapt to their environments.</p>