DO YOU SEE THE LIGHT?

THE HUMAN EYE:

HUNGRY HARVESTER OF LIGHT
(EXPERIENCE, CONTEXT, & PERCEPTUAL SET)

The Stimuli, The Receptors, The Pathways:

The Process of Transduction

The Human Visible Spectrum (400-700 nm)

3 Dimensions Of Color: Hue, Saturation, & Brightness

3 Dimensions Of Color

Hue: Whether the light reflected from the object looks red, blue, orange, or some other color. Hue is a
psychological term, because objects themselves do not possess color. Rather, a persons perception
of color is determined by how the eyes and brain interpret reflected wavelengths. In the visible
spectrum, a different hue is associated with each range of wavelengths. Light with a wavelength of
400-450 nanometers looks blue, light with a wavelength of 700 nanometers looks red.

Brightness: How light or dark the hue of an object appears. Brightness is affected by three variables:
The greater the intensity of the reflected light, the brighter the object.

Saturation: Saturation is also known as purity the depth and richness of the hue, determined by
the homogeneity of the wavelengths contained in the reflected light. Few objects reflect light that is
totally pure. Usually objects reflect a mixture of wavelengths. Pure, saturated light has a narrow band
of wavelengths and, thus, a narrow range of perceived color. A saturated red light with no blue,
yellow, or white in it, for example, appears a very intense red. Unsaturated colors are produced by a
wider band of wavelengths. Unsaturated red light can appear to be light pink, dark red, or rusty
brown, because its wider range of wavelengths makes it less pure.

The "COLORS" In The Square Below Have The Same Dominant Wavelength (Hue) But
Different Saturation & Brightness.

INCREASINGLY SATURATED

The Circle... The Disk... The Solid... Understanding Color

The relationship between

maximally saturated hues can be
expressed by arranging them in
a circle according to their
perceptual similarity.

The two dimensions of a disk allow

the representation of hue
and saturation. The hues are
positioned at the perimeter.
Fully saturated colors are shown at
the edge, completely unsaturated
(achromatic) colors at the center.

To represent all colors, one needs three dimensions. Maximal saturation that is possible varies from
hue to hue; hence, the different extensions from the central axis. Each individual slice illustrates for
a single hue, the variations in brightness and saturation.

Inverted Vision: Distal & Proximal Stimuli

Refractive Problems: Myopia & Hyperopia

Myopia/Near-Sightedness

Corrective Lenses

Hyperopia/Far-Sightedness

Path Of Light Travel: Cornea, Pupil, Iris, Lens

ACCOMODATION

Distant Objects = Less Bending/Refraction Lens = Less

Curved/More Flat

Near Objects = More Bending/Refraction Lens = More

Curved/Less Straight

Turning Light Waves Into Neural Impulses: Transduction

Distribution Of Cones In Two Human Retinas

Investigators artificially colored these images of cones from two peoples retinas,
indicating the short-wavelength cones with blue, the medium-wavelength with green,
and the long-wavelength with red. Note the difference between the two people, the
relative rarity of short-wavelength cones, and the patchiness of the distributions.

3 Retinal Layers: Photoceptors (Rods/Cones) Bipolar Cells

Ganglion Cells

The Optic Nerve Creates A "No Receptor" Or "Blind" Spot

Concentration/Distribution Of Photoceptors (Rods/Cones)

Behavioral Consequences Of Receptor Arrangement

Birds of prey have a great density of

receptors on the upper half of the retina,
enabling them to see below them in great
detail during flight. But they see objects
above them very poorly, unless they turn
their heads (sometimes upside down).
This is true of the owlets above and the
prairie falcon to the left.

Sensation & Perception: 2 Processes, 1 Experience

Sensation is simple stimulation of a sense organ. It is the basic registration of light,
sound, pressure, odor, or taste as parts of your body interact with the physical world. After
a sensation registers in your central nervous system, perception takes place at the level
of your brain: It is the organization, identification, and interpretation of a sensation in order
to form a mental representation.
Sensation is our sense organs detection of external stimulus energy. It is also our sense
organs responses to the external stimulus energy and the transmission of those
responses to the brain. Sensation is an elementary experience, such as color or motion.
Perception is the brains further processing of these detected signals. It results in internal
representations of the stimuli, representations that form a conscious experience of
the world.
Sensation is the process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment and
transforming those energies into neural energy. Perception is the process of organizing
and interpreting sensory information so that it has meaning.
THE ESSENCE OF SENSATION IS COLLECTION, RECEPTION, AND TRANSFORMATION
THE ESSENCE OF PERCEPTION IS INTERPRETATION, ORGANIZATION, AND EXPERIENCE

Coding the Stimulus Quality & Quantity

Coding of Stimulus Quantity: results from the fact that stronger stimuli
produce larger receptor potentials, which in turn produce faster rates of action
potentials in sensory neurons. The brain interprets a fast rate of action
potentials as a strong stimulus and a slow rate as a weak stimulus.
Coding of Stimulus Quality: occurs because different receptors within any
given sensory tissue are tuned to respond best to somewhat different forms of
energy. For example, in the eye, three different kinds of receptor cells,
each
most sensitive to a different range of wavelengths of light, provide the basis for
vision.