An Introduction to the Biology of Vision
This main goals of this text are to provide undergraduates with a working vocabulary and knowledge of the biology of vision and to acquaint them with the major themes in biological vision research. Part I treats the eye as an image-forming organ and provides an overview of the projections from the retina to key visual structures of the brain. The second part builds on this material, examining the functions of the retina and its central projections in greater detail. Part III addresses certain advanced topics in vision. This book is intended for use in a course for undergraduates in biology, neuroscience, or psychology who have had an introductory course on the nervous system. It is also useful as an ancillary graduate-level text.
- Designed for undergraduates with minimal background in neuroscience
- Special attention to vocabulary and with a concentration on the biological rather than the psychophysical aspects of vision.
- Major ideas amply illustrated with drawings and diagrams
Reviews & endorsements
"This review was an easy assignment, for any book by James McIlwain would have to be a gem, and this one did not disappoint. It thoroughly describes the processes of early vision, with numerous black-and-white illustrations and a tight organization...the book is a superb introduction to the state of the art in vision science." Colin C. Beer, The Quarterly Review of Biology
Product details
November 1996Paperback
9780521498906
236 pages
230 × 154 × 15 mm
0.38kg
146 b/w illus. 4 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Part I. The Eye and Visual Pathways:
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Structure and development of the human eye
- 3. Image formation
- 4. Central visual pathways
- Part II. Neural Mechanisms:
- 5. Photoreceptors and photoreception
- 6. Retinal circuitry
- 7. The retino-geniculate projection
- 8. The visual cortex
- Part III. Special Topics in Vision:
- 9. Spatial resolution in vision
- 10. Binocular vision and depth perception
- 11. Color vision
- 12. Ocular movements
- Index.