Visual Perception and the Brain
Description
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About this course: Learners will be introduced to the problems that vision faces, using perception as a guide. The course will consider how what we see is generated by the visual system, what the central problem for vision is, and what visual perception indicates about how the brain works. The evidence will be drawn from neuroscience, psychology, the history of vision science and what philosophy has contributed. Although the discussions will be informed by visual system anatomy and physiology, the focus is on perception. We see the physical world in a strange way, and goal is to understand why.
Created by: Duke University-
Taught by: Dale Purves, M.D.
Duke Institute for…
Frequently asked questions
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When you enroll for courses through Coursera you get to choose for a paid plan or for a free plan .
- Free plan: No certicification and/or audit only. You will have access to all course materials except graded items.
- Paid plan: Commit to earning a Certificate—it's a trusted, shareable way to showcase your new skills.
About this course: Learners will be introduced to the problems that vision faces, using perception as a guide. The course will consider how what we see is generated by the visual system, what the central problem for vision is, and what visual perception indicates about how the brain works. The evidence will be drawn from neuroscience, psychology, the history of vision science and what philosophy has contributed. Although the discussions will be informed by visual system anatomy and physiology, the focus is on perception. We see the physical world in a strange way, and goal is to understand why.
Created by: Duke University-
Taught by: Dale Purves, M.D.
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
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Duke University Duke University has about 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students and a world-class faculty helping to expand the frontiers of knowledge. The university has a strong commitment to applying knowledge in service to society, both near its North Carolina campus and around the world.Syllabus
WEEK 1
Background
20 videos, 4 readings expand
- Reading: About the Course
- Reading: Grading Policy
- Video: Course Introduction
- Reading: Feedback surveys
- Video: Background: What We Actually See
- Video: The Strange Way We See the Physical World (part 1)
- Video: The Strange Way We See the Physical World (part 2)
- Video: The Inverse Problem
- Video: Summary of Topic One
- Video: Visual Stimuli
- Video: Making an Image
- Video: Summary of Topic Two
- Video: The Eye (part 1)
- Video: The Eye (part 2)
- Video: The Retina (part 1)
- Video: The Retina (Part 2)
- Video: The Primary Visual Pathway (part 1)
- Video: The Primary Visual Pathway (part 2)
- Video: The Visual Cortex (part 1)
- Video: The Visual Cortex (part 2)
- Video: The Concept of Receptive Fields
- Video: Summary of Topic Three
- Video: Summary of Module One
- Reading: Module Feedback Survey
Graded: Module1, Topic 1
Graded: Module 1, Topics 2-3
WEEK 2
Seeing Lightness, Darkness and Color
17 videos, 1 reading expand
- Video: Definitions
- Video: Discrepancies between Luminance and Lightness
- Video: Complex Examples as Counter Evidence
- Video: An Empirical Explanation Based on Accumulated Experience (part 1)
- Video: An Empirical Explanation Based on Accumulated Experience (part 2)
- Video: Summary of Topic One
- Video: Definitions
- Video: Light and Color
- Video: How the Retina Initiates Color Vision (part 1)
- Video: How the Retina Initiates Color Vision (part 2)
- Video: Why Do We Have Color Vision?
- Video: Describing Color Perception
- Video: The Strange Way We See Color
- Video: An Empirical Answer (part 1)
- Video: An Empirical Answer (part 2)
- Video: Topic Summary
- Video: Module Summary
- Reading: Module Feedback Survey
Graded: Module 2, Topic 1
Graded: Module 2, Topic 2
WEEK 3
Seeing Space
19 videos, 1 reading expand
- Video: Geometrical “Illusions”
- Video: The Inverse Problem in Geometry
- Video: Seeing the Length of Lines
- Video: An Empirical Explanation of Apparent Line Length (part 1)
- Video: An Empirical Explanation of Apparent Line Length (part 2)
- Video: The Perception of Angles
- Video: An Empirical Explanation
- Video: Seeing Object Size
- Video: An Empirical Explanation
- Video: Topic Summary
- Video: Definitions
- Video: Seeing Distance with One Eye
- Video: Seeing Depth with Two Eyes (Stereopsis, part 1)
- Video: Seeing Depth with Two Eyes (Stereopsis, part 2)
- Video: Explaining Stereopsis
- Video: Random Dot Stereograms and the Correspondence Problem
- Video: Binocular Fusion (part 1)
- Video: Binocular Fusion (part 2)
- Video: Topic Summary
- Reading: Module Feedback Survey
Graded: Module 3, Topic 1
Graded: Module 3, Topic 2
WEEK 4
Seeing Motion
9 videos, 1 reading expand
- Video: Definitions
- Video: Phenomena that Need Explaining
- Video: Apparent Motion
- Video: Motion After Effects
- Video: The Inverse Problem for Motion
- Video: Perceived Speed: The Flash-Lag Effect
- Video: An Empirical Explanation of the Flash-Lag Effect
- Video: Perceived Direction: Aperture Effects
- Video: An Empirical Explanation
- Reading: Module Feedback Survey
Graded: Module 4
WEEK 5
Summing Up
11 videos, 1 reading expand
- Video: Alternative Conceptions of Vision
- Video: Vision as Feature Detection (part 1)
- Video: Vision as Feature Detection (part 2)
- Video: Vision as Inference (part 1)
- Video: Vision as Inference (part 2)
- Video: Vision as Efficient Coding
- Video: Vision as Way of Contending with the Inverse Problem
- Video: Topic Summary
- Video: Does the Brain Work by Computing?
- Video: Or is the Brain an Engine of Reflex Associations?
- Video: Some Concluding Remarks
- Reading: Module Feedback Survey
Graded: Module 5, Topic 1
Graded: Module 5, Topic 2
Graded: Peer Review
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