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Lecture Notes
 
Chapter 7
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Chapter 7 (and Related) Lecture Notes
Brain Mechanisms of Visual Perception
Hierarchic
Eyes
First level of visual association cortex
- Details of shape, colour, location, movement
Second level of visual association cortex
- 3-D object recognition, object location, direction of movement
Primary Visual Cortex
Back of the brain
Retina "mapped" to surface of PVC
- Modules
- Information from same region of retina
- Neural circuits
- Orientation, shape, movement, colour
Sincle Cell Recordings
Hubel and Wiesel (1977, 1979)
- Cat, microelectrode, visual display
Visual Association Cortex
Combine information from modules of PVC
- First level subdivisions
- Movement, orientation, width, colour of objects
- Second level subdivisions
- Location and movement
- Three-dimensional form perception
Pathways
Brain Damage
Primary visual cortex
- Blind in some part of visual field
- Still able to perceive objects and background
Visual associative cortex
- Perceptual problems
- Colour, movement, location
- Visual agnosia...can't recognize objects
- Damage to VAC of temporal lobe
- Fine visual detail still available
Perception of Form
Figure and ground
Not definitive
Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin; vase/profile (1915)
 By: Stanford psychologist Roger Shepard
Other examples of the vase/profile.
 An actual vase that encorporates this perceptual form
 18th century French print; look for the face profiles towards the top
 By M.C. Escher
Camouflage
Figure doesn't stand out from background

Take this link for another interesting example of camouflage, this time of a Hidden Bird.
Organizing Elements
Gestalt psychology
Boundaries
- Often, but not always, give form
Introducing boundaries
- Modifying verticies can change the illusion
Take this link to view the Triangle Completion Illusion, that highlights this issue of the importance of boundaries in identifying form.
Gestalt Laws of Grouping
Law of proximity
Law of similarity
Good continuation
Law of closure
Law of common fate
Models of Pattern Perception
Templates
- Detected object activates memory template
- Simple model but...too simple
Prototypes
- Idealized patterns of particular objects
- May need multiple prototypes for specific objects
Distinctive features
- Important physical features of familiar patterns
- e.g., alphabetic characters

- Two vertical, two diagonal lines
- e.g., letter search

- Analysis and synthesis
- Problems:
- Complexity...aids identification
Geons
- Combination of prototype and distinctive features models
- Geometric forms
- Combine into objects
- Visual system recognizes objects by identifying the sets of geons they contain
- Doesn't explain face recognition, specific objects
Top-down, Bottom-up
Context
Top-down
- Use of contextual information; "big picture"
Bottom-up
- Use of elements; "data-driven"
Simple elements...what are they?

Now?
Depth Perception
Monocular cues
- Motion parallax
- Pictorial cues
- Interposition, size, linear perspective, texture, haze, shading, elevation
Binocular cues
- Convergence
- Retinal disparity (stereopsis)
Binocular cues
- Convergence
- For close objects
- Turning of the eyes
- Retinal disparity
- Stereopsis
- Images fall on different parts of the two retina
- Neurons that receive signals from both eyes...only respond if disparity between input
"Magic Eye"
The "magic eye" figures take advantage of stereopsis.
Take this link to view some: Magic Eye Inc.
Monocular Cues
Motion parallax


Interposition
- One object in front of another
Linear perspective
- Parallel lines recede and converge
Texture
- Coarser = closer; finer = distant
Haze
- Objects in distant less distinct, due to atmosphere
Shading
- Not good for absolute distance
- Which parts of objects are closer/farther
Elevation
Experience and Perception
What do you see?

Take this link to learn more about this Perceptual Ambiguity.
Müller-Lyer Illusion
Which line is longer?
Cultural difference
Ouchi Illusion
Take this link to view the Ouchi Illusion.
Fraser Spiral
Take this link to view the Fraser Spiral.
Art
M.C. Escher has encorporated many perceptual illusions into his art. Below are two examples.
Early vs. Lat Visual Processing
Some perceptual illusions are caused by conflicting interpretations produced by different levels of the visual perception system. Take this link to view some interesting Image Motion illusions.
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