BIOPSYCH CHAPTER 6

The Visual System

Rod and Cone Vision

6.1
Light Enters the Eye and Reaches the Retina

Light waves of electromagnetic energy that are

between 380 and 760 nanometers in length

Some animals can see wavelengths that we

cannot
Wavelength important in perception of color
Intensity important in perception of brightness

The Pupil and the lens

Iris Donut-shaped bands of contractile tissues

Pupil hole in the iris

The adjustment of pupil size in response to changes in

illumination is a compromise between:

Sensitivity the ability to detect the presence

of dimly lit objects
Acuity the ability to see the details of the
objects
When pupils are constricted, there is a greater
depth of focus; when dilated, there is none
Lens focuses incoming light on the retina
Ciliary muscles adjusts the tension on the
ligaments holding each lens in place when we
direct our gaze at something near
Accommodation the process of adjusting the
configuration of the lenses to bring images into
focus on the retina

Spectral Sensitivity

Spectral Sensitivity Curve graph of the

relative brightness of lights of the same intensity
presented at different wavelengths
Contains : a spectral sensitivity cone for rods and
for cones
Eye movement

Temporal integration because of this, the

world does not vanish momentarily each time we
blink

Involuntary fixational eye movements:

tremors, drifts, saccades (small jerky
movements)
Visual Transduction

Binocular Disparity the difference in the

position of the same image on the two retinas

6.2

The Retina and Translation of Light into Neural

Signals
Retina converts light to neural signals, conducts
them toward the CNS, and participates in the
processing of the signals
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Composed of five layers of cells: receptors,

horizontal cells, bipolar cells, amacrine cells,
and retinal ganglion cells
Amacrine cells and horizontal cells specialize
in lateral communication
Blind spot gap in the receptor layer
Fovea indentation at the center of the retina;
specialized for high-acuity vision
Surface interpolation process by which we
perceive surfaces; the visual system extracts
information about edges and from it infers the
appearance of large surfaces

Transduction conversion of one form of

energy to another

6.3
From Retina to Primary Visual Cortex

Eye Position and Binocular Disparity

Duplexity Theory the theory that cones and

rods mediate different kinds of vision
Photopic vision cone-mediated vision; in good
lighting and provides high-acuity colored
perceptions of the world
Scotopic vision rod-mediated vision; in the
dark; lacks both detail and the color of photopic
vision
There are more rod in the nasal hemiretina than in
the temporal hemiretina

Retina-Geniculate Striate Pathways

conduct signals from each retina to the primary
visual cortex or striate cortex via the lateral
geniculate nuclei of the thalamus.
In the dark, rhodopsin molecules are inactive,
sodium channels are kept open, sodium ions are
partially depolarized, and rods continually
release glutamate (the opposite occurs for
when in the light)
The retina-geniculate-striate system is
retinotopic, meaning, each level of the system is
organized like a map of the retina

M and P channels

Parvocellular layers P layers (parvo means

small); composed of neurons with small cell
bodies; responsive to color; gets majority of
input from cones
Magnocellular layers M layers (magno
means large); composed of neurons with large
cell bodies; responsive to movement; gets
majority of inputs from rods