Mouse over the GREEN text to view definitions

1. Some basic concepts:
   1. Sensation = Transduction + Transmission
   2. Perception = Interpretation & Meaning
   3. Thresholds:  absolute; difference ; terminal
       
2. Vision:  What Can Go Wrong?
    

   Vision Problems Pairs of students are to select any four of the vision problems discussed in the Richmond Eye Associates website and use additional web resources to answer the following questions about each disorder: To be handed in from each pair:  Answers to the following questions for each of the four problems: What does the world look like to people with this problem? What abnormality of the visual system causes the problem? How to treat? Full citation for the website(s) used...be careful about plagiarism when you summarize what you find on the websites!!!

    
3. A general principle of perception: The need for constant change
   1. Key Concepts:  sense receptors, sensory adaptation, stopped image
   2. In-Class Activities for sensory adaptation:
      • The "cooked onion" example.
      • See FIG 10.3 in text.
      • Finally,  check out this odd circle.
         
4. How We Recognize Familiar Objects: Feature Analysis & Bottom-up Processing
   1. Key Concepts: bottom-up processing; visual receptors; feature detectors; feature analysis; parallel processing.
   2. A theory to explain how we recognize familiar objects:  feature analysis. 
   3. Is there evidence that something like this actually occurs? 
      • Feature detectors and parallel processing:  see Fig 10.9 & Fig 10.10
      • More brain pathways.
         
5. Color Vision: Another Example of Feature Analysis 
   1.  Key concepts: trichromatic and opponent process color mechanisms; additive color mixing
   2. In-class activities:  
      • additive color mixing  (primaries: R, G & B).
      • negative color afterimages  (primaries: (R, G, B & Y)
      • How can this be?
        • retina/cones:  trichromatic
        • thalamus & vis. cortex:  opponent process