PBP June 6 (Week 8) 6/22/22, 5:24 PM

PBP June 6 (Week 8)

Visual Sense

Primates experience a dramatically colorful world

– Color receptors
– Discerning emotional states or sexual signals conveyed through color
– Recognition of color-coded things

Characteristics/Parts of Light
Electromagnetic radiation - in the form of energy waves
Wavelength - distance between peaks of waves (perceived as colors or shades)
Amplitude - height of waves (brightness)
Photons - invisible particles that form waves of electromagnetic energy

Light as Stimulus
– abundance of EM energy in our universe
– travels quickly
– travels in fairly straight light (minimizes object distortion)

EM Spectrum
– Prism separates wavelengths of light (seeing individual colors)
– Example: Water as prism separates EM wavelengths and creates
rainbows
– The EM Spectrum:

Absorption, Reflection, and Refraction

Nanometer - 10 -9m measurement
Absorption - Absorbing light

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PBP June 6 (Week 8) 6/22/22, 5:24 PM

Reflection - Bouncing light toward its source

Refraction - light’s change in direction

Protecting the Eye

– Located at the bony orbit of the skull, cushioned by fate
– …

Anatomy of the Eye

– Orbit: houses the eyeball in the skull
– Sclera: white outer covering
– Cornea: transparent outer layer
– Anterior Chamber: area located directly behind the cornea, containing
aqueous humor.
– Aqueous Humor: fluid that nourishes cornea and lens
– Pupil: opening in front of the eye controlled by the iris
– Iris: circular muscle located in the front of the eye that controls the
opening of the pupil.

AdIn: Melanin in the eye annihilates absorbed uv radiation.

Photoreceptors
+ Rod responds to low levels of light but not to color;
responsible for scotopic vision (seeing in dim lights);
sensitivity to bright light. Contain photopigment called
rhodopsin.

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+ Cones operates in bright lights and responds to color;

responsible for photopic vision (seeing in bright light)

Visual Perception
+ Hierarchies:
Spatial frequencies: Mathematical analysis of spatial
frequencies in vision.
Gratings: Frequency and Concept(??)

The Perception of Depth

+ Image projected from the retina is 2D.

Coding Color

+ Tri-chromacy
- human color vision is based on 3 pigments (RGB)
+ Opponent Process Theory
- one member of a color pair suppresses the other
color; suggests that the way we view colors are
based on a system of opposing colors.

Color Blindness
+ Errors in chromosomes that encode the cone
photopigments.

Dichromacy
– two different cone pigments.

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Monochromacy
– BnW only
Anomalous Trichromacy
– 3 cone pigments that have slightly different wavelengths than normal
Tetrachromat
– four cone photopigments.

Color Contrast and Color Constancy

Contrast - depending on surrounding colors
Constancy - do not appear to change regardless of light
change; adaptation.

Disorders in the Visual System

Visual Acuity Problems

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