Basic Vision: An Introduction to Visual Perception

Why do things look blurry underwater? Why do people drive too fast in fog? How do you high-pass filter a cup of tea? What have mixer taps to do with colour vision? Basic Vision: An Introduction to Visual Perception demystifies the processes through which we see the world. Written by three authors with over 80 years of research and undergraduate teaching experience between them, it 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 book takes us through the various elements that come together as our perception of the world around us: the perception of size, colour, motion, and three-dimensional space. It illustrates the intricacy of the visual system, discussing its development during infancy, and revealing how the brain can get it wrong, either as a result of brain damage, through which the network of processes become compromised, or through illusion, where the brain compensates for mixed messages by seeing what it thinks should be there, rather than conveying the reality. The book also demonstrates the importance of contemporary techniques and methodology, and neuroscience-based techniques in particular, in driving forward our understanding of the visual system. Online Resources The online resources to accompany Basic Vision feature: For registered adopters: Figures from the book available to download, to facilitate lecture preparation. Test bank of multiple choice questions - a readily available tool for either formative or summative assessment. A Journal Club, with questions to lead students through key research articles that relate to topics covered in the book. For students: Annotated web links, giving students ready access to these additional learning resources.

Table of Contents:
0: A trailer to the book 1: The first steps in seeing 2: Signalling changes 3: To the cortex 4: Spatial vision 5: Colour vision 6: The perception of motion 7: The third dimension 8: The development of vision 9: Attention and neglect 10: The perception of faces 11: Vision and action 12: How we know it might be so...

About the Author :
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.

Review :
Review from previous edition This the best textbook I have come across that dedicates enough time and space to describing the underlying physiology of the visual system and why understanding these neural mechanisms is critical to understanding human visual perception... The "conversational" style is great for breaking down the barriers between student's apprehensions and the neuroscientific aspects of the field. ' Nick Barraclough, Department of Psychology, University of HullI was very pleased to discover Basic Vision. The style is very engaging, and it covers all the main topics. The explanations are clear and generally well pitched for undergraduates.' Kielan Yarrow, Department of Psychology, City UniversityThe book provides inspiration for anyone with an interest in perception.' Optische Fenomenen, Nov 2012