Visual perception
Visual perception is the active process of interpreting light to form meaningful representations of the environment.
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Perception is influenced by prior knowledge, expectations, and contextual information.[1] The capacity to detect light and create an image of the environment is what defines visual perception.[2] Rather than passively recording visual data, the brain actively interprets and organizes sensory information during perception.[1]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Vision science
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Neural impulses are produced when light is converted by specialized photoreceptive cells located in the retina.[3] Cone cells and rod cells are the two broad categories of photoreceptors, with cones enabling photopic vision and rods enabling scotopic vision.[3] Many research questions currently investigated by vision scientists were originally raised by Gestalt psychologists, who were most active during the 1930s and 1940s.[4] A multi-level theory of vision, which analyzes the process at various levels of abstraction, was developed by David Marr in the 1970s.[5]
Recognizing and differentiating objects is a key function performed by the inferotemporal cortex.[6] People who regain sight after prolonged blindness often cannot automatically recognize objects and faces.[7]
What the cited sources add
The University of Hawaii account notes that about one-third of the human cerebral cortex is dedicated to analyzing and perceiving visual information.[8] A large degree of processing of visual information occurs in the retina itself before visual information is sent to the brain.[8] These regions are not specific to objects such as dogs, nor easy-to-describe visual features such as curved lines.[6] After being deprived of visual input, the brain needs to learn to make sense of the new flood of visual information.[9]
A 2007 study found that older patients could improve visual abilities with years of exposure, challenging the belief that a critical period lasts only until age 5 or 6.[7] The findings could help researchers build robots with visual systems capable of autonomously discovering objects in their environment.[9] According to the MIT team's findings, the IT cortex consists of distinct regions, each responsible for processing different aspects of object recognition.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Visual perception" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Marr, "Vision: A Computational Investigation into the Human Representation and Processing of Visual Information", MIT Press, 1982; Gregory, "The Medawar Lecture 2001 knowledge for vision: vision for knowledge", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 2005-06-29, p. 1231–1251 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Visual perception" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Vision", University of Hawaii, 22 August 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Visual perception" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sadun, "Neuroanatomy of the human visual system: Part II Retinal projections to the superior colliculus and pulvinar", Neuro-Ophthalmology, 1986, p. 363–370 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Visual perception" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wagemans, "A Century of Gestalt Psychology in Visual Perception", Psychological Bulletin, November 2012, p. 1172–1217 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Visual perception" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Poggio, "Marr's Computational Approach to Vision", Trends in Neurosciences, 1981, p. 258–262 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "How the brain distinguishes between objects", MIT News, March 13, 2019. facts only, no text reused. news.mit.edu
- Wikipedia, "Visual perception" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Man with restored sight provides new insight into how vision develops; Out Of Darkness, Sight: Rare Cases Of Restored Vision Reveal How The Brain Learns To See (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Vision", University of Hawaii, 22 August 2012. facts only, no text reused. pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu
- Out Of Darkness, Sight: Rare Cases Of Restored Vision Reveal How The Brain Learns To See. facts only, no text reused. sciencedaily.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Visual perception (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Sensory Systems
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Visual perception (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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