Basic Vision An Introduction to Visual Perception

by Snowden, Robert; Thompson, Peter; Troscianko, Tom

• ISBN13: 9780199286706
• ISBN10: 0199286701
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-07-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

At last: a textbook on visual perception that is authoritative and cutting-edge - yet still fun to read. Basic Vision: An Introduction to Visual Perception demystifies the processes through which we see undergraduate teaching experience between them, it provides a refreshing new approach for those students who have been left bewildered and jaded by other texts. The book leads the reader step-by-step through the intricacies of visual processing, with full-colour illustrations on nearly every page. The writing style captures the excitement of recent research in neuroscience that has transformed our understanding of visual processing, but delivers it with a humour that keeps the reader enthused, rather than bemused. The first text to make this topic truly accessible to an undergraduate audience: the ideal teaching and learning resource for lecturers and students alike. Absorbing and engaging writing style helps to motivate the student by drawing them into the subject rather than intimidating them. Special emphasis on visual neuroscience takes the student right to the fore-front of current research. Boxes augment the text, expanding and simplifying key concepts. Full colour illustrations throughout enhance the educational value of the book. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Robert Snowden is a Professor in the School of Psychology, Cardiff University, where his research spans visual perception, attention, and abnormal psychology.
Peter Thompson is Senior Lecturer in Visual Psychophysics in the Department of Psychology, University of York, where his research examines the perception of motion and speed.
Tom Troscianko is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, where his research explores perception, cognition, and action.

Table of Contents

Figure acknowledgements	xiii
0 A trailer to the book	1	(283)
An apology	2	(1)
The problem	2	(3)
Vision in action	5	(3)
Illusions	8	(3)
Damage to the system	11	(2)
The brain	13	(3)
The study of vision	16	(1)
Readings and references	17	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions fit interest	17	(2)
1 The first steps in seeing	19	(24)
The eye	20	(12)
The photoreceptors	32	(3)
The retinal ganglion cells	35	(1)
Beyond the eye – the optic nerve	35	(1)
The lateral geniculate nucleus	36	(5)
Readings and references	41	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	42	(1)
2 Signalling changes	43	(23)
Introduction	44	(1)
A problem	44	(1)
Retinal ganglion cells and receptive fields	45	(5)
Receptive fields and image processing	50	(6)
Some effects of retinal processing	56	(7)
Conclusion	63	(1)
Readings and references	64	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials and questions of interest	64	(2)
3 To the cortex	66	(30)
The primary visual cortex (aka V1, striate cortex, area 17)	67	(1)
Orientation selectivity	68	(5)
Organization of primary visual cortex	73	(4)
Simple cells	77	(3)
Complex cells	80	(1)
Hypercomplex cells	81	(2)
Trigger features	83	(1)
Face cells	84	(1)
The grandmother cell hypothesis	85	(1)
Beyond VI — the extrastriate areas	86	(7)
Readings and references	93	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and que,tions of interest	94	(2)
4 Spatial vision	96	(33)
Experiments on humans	97	(1)
The tilt after-effect	98	(1)
A neural explanation of the tilt after-effect	99	(5)
Tilt-specific threshold elevation	104	(1)
The size after-effect	105	(3)
Simultaneous tilt and size illusions	108	(1)
Size-specific threshold elevation	108	(2)
Contrast sensitivity	110	(5)
Peripheral vision	115	(2)
Retinal versus real size	117	(4)
Some visual illusions explained?	121	(5)
Readings and references	126	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	127	(2)
5 Colour vision	129	(37)
Introduction	130	(1)
What is colour, and why would you want to see it?	130	(1)
The nature of light	131	(6)
A single-cone system monochromatic vision	137	(3)
A two-cone system - dichromatic vision	140	(7)
A three-colic system - trichromatic vision	147	(3)
Comparing activity in cones - colour opponency	150	(2)
Colour-opponent cells	152	(1)
Two-colour vision systems	153	(1)
Colour blindness	154	(3)
Cortical processes in colour vision	157	(1)
Colour constancy	157	(3)
Back to the cortex	160	(1)
Cerebral achromatopsia	161	(2)
Readings and references	163	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	164	(2)
6 The perception of motion	166	(30)
Two ways of seeing movement	167	(4)
A motion detector	171	(4)
The motion after-effect	175	(2)
Speed	177	(2)
Apparent motion	179	(2)
Motion blindness and area MT (V5)	181	(7)
How do we tell what moves and what stays still?	188	(1)
Vection and stability	188	(4)
Vection and vomit	192	(1)
Conclusion	193	(1)
Readings and references	193	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	194	(2)
7 The third dimension	196	(33)
Introduction	197	(2)
Stereoscopic vision	199	(8)
The correspondence problem and random dot stereograms	207	(4)
Physiological mechanisms and disparity	211	(1)
Stereo-blindness	212	(1)
Motion parallax	213	(1)
Pictorial cues	214	(6)
Size constancy, depth perception, and illusions	220	(6)
Conclusions	226	(1)
Readings and references	226	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	227	(2)
8 The development of vision	229	(25)
Introduction	230	(1)
Measuring a baby's vision	231	(11)
Selective rearing experiments	242	(3)
Problems of vision	245	(2)
Putting things right	247	(1)
Active versus passive vision	248	(3)
Vision in old age	251	(1)
Readings and references	251	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	252	(2)
9 Attention and neglect	254	(30)
Introduction	255	(2)
Moving attention	257	(2)
Spot the difference — change blindness	259	(6)
Objects and space	265	(4)
Visual search	269	(4)
Feature integration theory	273	(3)
Guided search	276	(1)
Neglect	277	(4)
Readings and references	281	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	282	(2)
10 The perception of faces	284	(32)
The face as a special stimulus	285	(2)
Just how good are we at recognizing faces?	287	(4)
Feature configurations	291	(4)
Recognizing individuals	295	(7)
Physiology of face recognition	302	(5)
Prosopagnosia	307	(2)
Delusions	309	(4)
Conclusions	313	(1)
Readings and references	313	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	314	(2)
11 Vision and action	316	(29)
'What' and 'where' streams in vision	317	(1)
Blindsight	318	(3)
The superior colliculus route	321	(4)
Bálint—Holmes syndrome or optic ataxia	325	(3)
Visual form agnosia	328	(1)
Dissociation of perception and action	329	(2)
Eve movements	331	(3)
Saccadic suppression	334	(1)
Eye movements in real tasks	335	(7)
Conclusion	342	(1)
Readings and references	342	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	343	(2)
12 How we know it might be so...	345	(32)
Anatomical techniques	346	(2)
Recording techniques	348	(13)
Microstimulation	361	(1)
Lesioning	361	(3)
Neuropsychology	364	(1)
Psychophysics	365	(9)
Readings and references	374	(1)
Possible essay titles, tutorials, and questions of interest	374	(3)
Index	377