Astigmatism
*A decreased responsiveness to one kind of line or another, caused by an asymmetric curvature of the eyes.
Bipolar Cells
*Type of cell in the retina that receives input directly from the receptors.
Blind Spot
*Area at the back of the retina where the optic nerve exists; it is devoid of receptors.
Binocular
*Stimulation from both eyes.
Blindsight
*The ability to respond in limited ways to visual information without perceiving it consciously.
Color Constancy
*The ability to recognize colors despite changes in lighting.
Complex Cells
*A type of cell in areas V1 and V2 that responds to a pattern of light in a particular orientation anywhere within its large receptive field.
Color Vision Deficiency
*Inability to perceive color differences.
Cones
*Type of retinal receptor that contributes to color perception.
Dorsal Stream
*Visual path in the parietal cortex that helps the motor system locate objects; the “where” path.
Feature Detectors
*Neurons whose responses indicate the presence of a particular feature.
Fovea
*A tiny area of the retina specialized for acute, detailed vision.
Fusiform Gyrus
*Brain area of the inferior temporal cortex that recognizes faces.
Ganglion Cells
*Type of neuron in the retina that receives input from bipolar cells.
Horizontal Cells
*Type of retinal cell that receives input from receptors and delivers inhibitory input to bipolar cells.
Inferior Temporal Cortex
*Portion of the cortex where neurons are highly sensitive to complex aspects of the shape of visual stimuli within very large receptive fields.
Koniocellular Neurons
*Small ganglion cells that occur throughout the retina.
Law of Specific Nerve Energies
*Statement that whatever excites a particular nerve always sends the same kind of information to the brain.
Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
*Thalamic nucleus that receives incoming visual information.
Lateral Inhibition
*The reduction of activity in one neuron by activity in neighboring neurons.
Magnocellular neurons
*Large cell bodies with large receptive fields that are distributed evenly throughout the retina.
Opponent-process Theory
*Idea that we perceive color in terms of opposites.
MST
*Middle Superior Temporal Cortex
MT
*Middle Temporal Cortex – area of the brain that detects moving objects.
Parvocellular Neurons
*Small cell bodies with small receptive fields in or near the fovea.
Primary Visual Cortex
*Area VI – Area of the cortex responsible for the first stage of visual processing.
Photopigments
*Chemicals contained in rods and cones that release energy when struck by light.
Prosopagnosia
*The inability to recognize faces due to damage of several brain areas.
Pupil
*An opening in the center of the iris where light enters.
Retina
*The rear surface of the eye, which is lined with visual receptors.
Retinex Theory
*Concept that the cortex compares information from various parts of the retina to determine the brightness and color for each area.
Rods
*Type of retinal receptor that detects brightness of light.
Receptive Field
*The area in visual space that excites or inhibits any neuron.
Retinal Disparity
*The discrepancy between what the left and right eyes see.
Saccade
*Voluntary eye movements.
Secondary Visual Cortex
*Area V2 – Area of the brain that processes information from the primary visual cortex and transmits it to additional areas.
Sensitive Period
*Time early in development when experiences have a particularly strong and enduring influence.
Simple Cell
*Type of visual cortex cell that has a receptive field with fixed excitatory and inhibitory zones.
Strabismus
*A condition in which the eyes do not point in the same direction.
Trichromatic Theory
*Theory that color is perceived through the relative rates of responses by three kinds of cones, each one maximally sensitive to a different set of wavelengths.
Ventral Stream
*Visual paths in the temporal cortex that are specialized for identifying and recognizing objects; the “what” path.
Visual Agnosia
*An inability to recognize objects despite otherwise satisfactory vision.
Visual Field
*Area of the world that an individual can see at any time.
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