An Introduction to the Visual System
An Introduction to the Visual System
Building on the successful formula of the first edition, Martin Tovée offers a concise but detailed account of how the visual system is organised and functions to produce visual perception. He takes his readers from first principles; the structure and function of the eye and what happens when light enters, to how we see and process images, recognise patterns and faces, and through to the most recent discoveries in molecular genetics and brain imaging, and how they have uncovered a host of new advances in our understanding of how visual information is processed within the brain. Incorporating new material throughout, including almost 50 new images, every chapter has been updated to include the latest research, and culminates in helpful key points, which summarise the lessons learnt. This book is an invaluable course text for students within the fields of psychology, neuroscience, biology and physiology.
- Contains new colour images, italicised phrases and terms in bold making it easy to navigate
- Now covers exciting new discoveries like change blindness and the neural basis of perceptual learning bringing readers completely up to date with the most recent research
- Clear, student-friendly layout, including a key points section at the end of each chapter summarising the lessons learnt
Reviews & endorsements
'The book has many attractions. In a lively and enthusiastic way the author takes us on a journey of fascinating discoveries artfully woven together … The writing is lucid, succinct, thoughtful and highly informative … I highly recommend this book for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate classes … The book deserves a place on the shelf of everyone interested in the current state of vision research and in the paths the field of vision research might take in the near future.' Lothar Spillmann, Trends in Neuroscience
'… if you are looking for a brief, wide-ranging introductory text on vision then this book fits the bill.' Mark Scase, Bulletin of the Applied Vision Association
'… an up to date textbook.' New Scientist
Product details
July 2008Hardback
9780521883191
222 pages
253 × 194 × 16 mm
0.67kg
74 b/w illus.
Out of stock in print form with no current plan to reprint
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The eye and forming the image
- 3. Retinal colour vision
- 4. The organisation of the visual system
- 5. Primary visual cortex
- 6. Visual development - an activity-dependent process
- 7. Colour constancy
- 8. Object perception and recognition
- 9. Face recognition and interpretation
- 10. Motion perception
- 11. Brain and space
- 12. What is perception?
