Visual Perception: Physiology, Psychology and Ecology

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 464 pages
• Published by: Psychology Press
• Edition: 4th Edition September 29, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1841692387
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1841692388
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 2 pounds

Product Review
'This book is gorgeously written throughout. It is clear, concise and interesting, and never makes the mistake of glossing over or avoiding important issues. I know of no other book that, in each new edition, succeeds in maintaining its coherence and its identity, while keeping pace with the changing emphasis of contemporary approaches to vision.' - Mike Harris, University of Birmingham 'The extensive revisions to the text give the book a clear edge in offering an up-to-date view of developments in the field in a very digestible form. The new edition provides the most up-to-date text on vision in the market.' - George Mather, University of Sussex

An excellent, thorough revision which turns a useful book into an indispensible one. I would strongly recommend it as a main text for undergraduate vision courses in psychology and biology and for postgraduates starting research in vision science. - Mike Harris, University of Birmingham, UK

Teachers of final-year psychology courses on vision have long had a problem with textbooks. This book goes a long way towards correcting this situation. Arguably it goes further than any competitor, and it does so with a clear and informed style, scoring close to full marks for both conceptual and literary clarity. - Andrew T. Smith, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK

The new text significantly strengthens the unique position that the book occupies in the market. - George Mather, University of Sussex, UK

This book presents a richly detailed account of current thinking on visual perception New sections have been added to represent important, and sometimes fascinating, new developments. - Gillian Rhodes, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Product Description
The new edition of this comprehensive text continues to provide a detailed and up-to-date account of research on visual perception, while maintaining the emphasis of earlier editions on the functional context of vision. Reflecting recent theoretical developments, the book is organised around the distinction between two broad functions of vision, to provide awareness and to control action.
In Part I, the account of visual processing in the brain has been extensively updated, and evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychology has been integrated into a critical account of the 'two pathways' theory of visual cortex. The revision of chapters in Part II has given particular attention to recent advances in integrating psychophysical, physiological and computational approaches to problems such as the perception of surfaces and of motion. With the help of new illustrations, full introductions are provided to the key mathematical concepts used in these areas. In Part III, three new chapters draw on evidence fromboth animal and human behaviour to cover optic flow and locomotion, the timing of actions, and perception of the social world. The concluding chapter considers critically the wider theoretical implications of the distinction between awareness and action as separate functions of vision.
Visual Perception, Fourth Edition will be an invaluable resource for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of psychology, biology, physiology and neuroscience, as well as researchers in the fields of visual neuroscience, visual perception and animal behaviour.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Visual Perception: Physiology, Psychology and Ecology (Paperback) I have used this book for over ten years now as one of the texts in an intermediate level cognitive science course on perception and action. Each year I review the new offerings in the field, and each year I come back to this book as the best available. Its greatest strengths are (1) the thoroughness with which it covers both the theoretical disputes and the empirical literature on vision, (2) its broadly interdisciplinary nature, including work from the neurosciences, artificial intelligence, and human and animal behavior, and (3) its emphasis on the deep connections between how we see and how we move. This combination of approaches is simply not to be found in any other book on vision. Understanding the last of these -- that the way we see is thoroughly integrated with how we move about in the world -- will change your view of a great many things about human nature. What keeps it from being perfect? The writing style of the book is clunky at times, and sometimes the exposition isn't as clear as it could be, so that readers who are new to the subject may have to work hard at some points to understand some of the more complex material. However, you'll be rewarded for your efforts if you make them. All in all, a great introduction to a fascinating set of issues.