Blindness and Brain Plasticity in Navigation and Object Perception

by Rieser; John J.

• ISBN13: 9780805855517
• ISBN10: 0805855513
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-08-10
• Publisher: Psychology Pres

Summary

Research into the development of sensory structures in the brains of blind or visually-impaired individuals has opened a window into important ways in which the mind works. In these individuals, the part of the brain that is usually devoted to processing visual information is given over to increased processing of the touch and hearing sense. This demonstration of brain plasticity is of great importance to cognitive neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists, and has real implications for rehabilitation and education specialists who work with the visually impaired. This is an interdisciplinary book, featuring chapters from cognitive and developmental psychologists, neurologists and neuroscientists, and rehabilitation specialists and educators. All of these groups do research in this area but generally do not collaborate with one another. This book is an attempt to bring together the disparate threads of research into a single volume, appropriate for all three markets.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction
Theory and Issues in Research on Blindness and Brain Plasticity	p. 3
History of Research on Blindness and Brain Plasticity	p. 13
Experience-Dependent Recruitment of Visual Cortex for Nonvisual Learning and Development
The Plastic Human Brain in Blind Individuals: The Cause of Disability and the Opportunity for Rehabilitation	p. 23
Plasticity of Cortical Maps in Visual Deprivation	p. 43
Brain Plasticity and Multi-Sensory Experience in Early Blind Individuals	p. 67
Braille, Plasticity, and the Mind	p. 85
Visual Cortical Involvement During Tactile Perception in Blind and Sighted Individuals	p. 113
The Behavioral and Neurophysiological Effects of Sensory Deprivation	p. 127
Perception, Sensory Substitution, and Cognitive Strategies
Functional Equivalence of Spatial Representations From Vision, Touch, and Hearing: Relevance for Sensory Substitution	p. 155
Object Recognition by Touch	p. 185
Training Peripheral Vision to Read	p. 209
Strategies of Maintaining Dynamic Spatial Orientation When Walking Without Vision	p. 227
Spatial Reference Frames Used in Mental Imagery Tasks	p. 239
Touch as a "Reality Sense"	p. 259
From Use-Oriented Research to Application
Nonvisual Sports and Art: Fertile Substrates for the Growth of Knowledge About Brain Plasticity in People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision	p. 283
Making the Environment Accessible to Pedestrians Who Are Visually Impaired: Policy Research	p. 313
Crossing Streets Without Vision: Access to Information, Strategies for Traveling, and the Impact of Technology, Training, and Environmental Design	p. 335
Why Does Training Reduce Blind Pedestrians' Veering?	p. 353
Visual Experience and the Concept of Compensatory Spatial Hearing Abilities	p. 367
Rehabilitation Strategies in Individuals With Age-Related Macular Degeneration	p. 381
Author Index	p. 391
Subject Index	p. 411
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