Decision Processes In Visual Perception

Decision Processes in Visual Perception explores the relationships between the organization of a complex visual pattern by the perception system and the molecular activity involved in the discrimination of differences in magnitude or intensity between two stimulus elements. The text discusses the basic principles of discrimination, identification, and self-regulation of the perception system; demonstrates how adaptive decision modules emerge from multiple constraints; shows how combinations of simple decisions lead to complex judgmental tasks; and synthesizes traditional approaches to perception in order to clarify the crucial and pervasive role of these modules in the overall activity of perceptual organization. Psychologists, neuroscientists, molecular biologists, and physiologists will find the book invaluable.

Joan Vickers presents evidence on gaze control within visual perception and action in sport as well as the science underlying decision training.

Proposing a new paradigm for perceptual science that goes beyond standard information theory and digital computation. This book breaks with the conventional model of perception that views vision as a mere inference to an objective reality on the basis of "inverse optics." The authors offer the alternative view that perception is an expressive and awareness-generating process. Perception creates semantic information in such a way as to enable the observer to deal efficaciously with the chaotic and meaningless structure present at the physical boundary between the body and its surroundings. Vision is intentional by its very nature; visual qualities are essential and real, providing an aesthetic and meaningful interface to the structures of physics and the state of the brain. This view brings perception firmly in line with ethology and modern evolutionary biology and suggests new approaches in all disciplines that study, or require an understanding of, the ontology of mind. The book is the joint effort of a multidisciplinary group of authors. Topics covered include the relationships among stimuli, neuronal processes, and visual awareness. After considering the mind-dependent growing of information, the book treats time and dynamics; color, shape, and space; language and perception; perception, art, and design.

This solid introduction uses the principles of physics and the tools of mathematics to approach fundamental questions of neuroscience.

The visual system consists of hierarchically organized distinct anatomical areas functionally specialized for processing different aspects of a visual object (Felleman & Van Essen, 1991). These visual areas are interconnected through ascending feedforward projections, descending feedback projections, and projections from neural structures at the same hierarchical level (Lamme et al., 1998). Accumulating evidence from anatomical, functional and theoretical studies suggests that these three projections play fundamentally different roles in perception. However, their distinct functional roles in visual processing are still subject to debate (Lamme & Roelfsema, 2000). The focus of this Research Topic is the roles of feedforward and feedback projections in vision. Even though the notions of feedforward, feedback, and reentrant processing are widely accepted, it has been found difficult to distinguish their individual roles on the basis of a single criterion. We welcome empirical contributions, theoretical contributions and reviews that fit into any one (or a combination) of the following domains: 1) their functional roles for perception of specific features of a visual object 2) their contributions to the distinct modes of visual processing (e.g., pre-attentive vs. attentive, conscious vs. unconscious) 3) recent techniques/methodologies to identify distinct functional roles of feedforward and feedback projections and corresponding neural signatures. We believe that the current Research Topic will not only provide recent information about feedforward/feedback processes in vision but also contribute to the understanding fundamental principles of cortical processing in general.

Visual Perception: Theory and Practice focuses on the theory and practice of visual perception, with emphasis on technologies used in vision research and in visual information processing. Central areas of vision research including spatial vision, motion perception, and color are discussed. Light and optics, convolutions and Fourier methods, and network theory and systems are also examined. Comprised of nine chapters, this book begins with an overview of language and processes underlying specific areas of vision such as measures of neural activity, feature specificity, and individual cells and psychophysics. The reader is then systematically introduced to the more essential properties of light and optics relevant to visual perception; the use of convolutions, Fourier series, and Fourier transform to model processes in visual perception; and network theory and systems. Subsequent chapters deal with the geometry of visual perception; spatial vision; the perception of motion; and some specific issues in visual perception, including color perception, binocular vision, and steriopsis. This monograph is intended for students, practitioners, and investigators in physiology.

This book presents a collection of articles reflecting state-of-the-art research in visual perception, specifically concentrating on neural correlates of perception. Each section addresses one of the main topics in vision research today. Volume 1 Fundamentals of Vision: Low and Mid-Level Processes in Perception covers topics from receptive field analyses to shape perception and eye movements. A variety of methodological approaches are represented, including single-neuron recordings, fMRI and optical imaging, psychophysics, eye movement characterization and computational modelling. The contributions will provide the reader with a valuable perspective on the current status of vision research, and more importantly, with critical insight into future research directions and the discoveries yet to come. · Provides a detailed breakdown of the neural and psychophysical bases of Perception · Presents never-before-published original discoveries · Includes multiple full-color illustrations

The book deals with two focal issues: 1. The structural rules according to which information is organized in perception (Part I). 2. The rules on how pieces of information are integrated and transformed into judgements (Part II). Included in Part I are theories on neural mechanisms and models linking perception and memory. Part II refers to simple physical and complex semantic dimensions. Antecedents in animal behaviour are explored too. The book is intended for a broad readership; it should stimulate research which will link topics that have been traditionally separated. Features of the book are: - a synopsis of discrete, structural and quantitative aspects of perception linking perception with higher cognition and memory. - an overview on new approaches and findings from East and West on perceptual organization and rules inherent to judgement. - the chapters are strongly interconnected and didactical in tone. Introductions are designed to increase readability of the work.