Perception and Illusion . Historical Perspectives (Library of the History of Psychological Theories)

Recording Observations -- Nature of Perceptual Error -- Nature of Veridicality -- Perception in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries -- The Instrumental Revolution in the Nineteenth Century -- The Response Revolution in the Nineteenth Century -- The Fragmentation of the Senses in the Nineteenth Century -- The Twentieth Century -- The Multiplication of Illusion -- Conclusions.;The understanding of perception is central to our knowledge of the mind. Yet paradoxically, this understanding was born of centuries of fascination with errors of human perception. Perception and Illusion: Historical Perspectives elegantly retraces this scientific journey, not only in terms of its trials and errors but in its complex relationships with painting and medicine, philosophy and physics. In this accessible volume, Nicholas Wade surveys over two millennia of scientific inquiry and research, describing the evolution of theories of light, sight, and illusion from early naturalistic observation to our sophisticated present-day experiments. Optics, physiology, and ophthalmology are seen emerging from beneath the burden of tradition and dogma. So, too, do doctors and thinkers studying the senses become practitioners devoted to specialized domains." The Greek foundations of perception: Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Ptolemy " Art and perception before and after the Renaissance: color mixing and linear perspective " The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: ocular anatomy meets optical science; the separation of sight from light " Perception and behavior: illusions and the roots of psychology in the nineteenth century; the fragmentation of the senses; harnessing space and time " Perceptual innovations in the twentieth century: from infant vision through visual physiology to virtual reality. Perception and Illusion: Historical Perspectives is illuminating reading for students of the history of psychology, optics, and medicine, and provides insights into the history and progress of science. In addition to charting these visual milestones, Wade reminds the reader in an articulate manner of perceptual controversies--including some of the most basic ones--that have yet to be resolved.

The understanding of perception is central to our knowledge of the mind. Yet paradoxically, this understanding was born of centuries of fascination with errors of human perception. Perception and Illusion: Historical Perspectives elegantly retraces this scientific journey, not only in terms of its trials and errors but in its complex relationships with painting and medicine, philosophy and physics.

In this accessible volume, Nicholas Wade surveys over two millennia of scientific inquiry and research, describing the evolution of theories of light, sight, and illusion from early naturalistic observation to our sophisticated present-day experiments. Optics, physiology, and ophthalmology are seen emerging from beneath the burden of tradition and dogma. So, too, do doctors and thinkers studying the senses become practitioners devoted to specialized domains.

• The Greek foundations of perception: Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Ptolemy
• Art and perception before and after the Renaissance: color mixing and linear perspective
• The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: ocular anatomy meets optical science; the separation of sight from light
• Perception and behavior: illusions and the roots of psychology in the nineteenth century; the fragmentation of the senses; harnessing space and time
• Perceptual innovations in the twentieth century: from infant vision through visual physiology to virtual reality.

Perception and Illusion: Historical Perspectives is illuminating reading for students of the history of psychology, optics, and medicine, and provides insights into the history and progress of science. In addition to charting these visual milestones, Wade reminds the reader in an articulate manner of perceptual controversies—including some of the most basic ones—that have yet to be resolved.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Christopher J. Graver, PhD(Madigan Army Medical Center)
Description:This book provides a historical perspective on human perception, from the earliest evidence of cave drawings 30,000 years ago to advances in our understanding of the five primary senses in the early 20th century. The unique twist to the book is its focus on errors in perception, rather than the biological processes involved in true perception.
Purpose:The book reflects various strands of historical research in perception that have excited the author's interest. It is intended to examine interpretations of perceptual processes and associated errors throughout history. Although the book adheres to this objective for the most part, it spends significantly more time describing errors in the understanding of perceptual processes, rather than perceptual errors themselves.
Audience:The intended audience includes anyone interested in the historical perspective of perception theory, early experiments in the study of perception, and the basic biology of perception. The author is an experienced researcher in this field and published a number of studies on visual perception earlier in his career and has published more extensively on historical topics in recent years.
Features:A strength of this book is its ability to cover the history of perception quite thoroughly and include information about such wide-ranging topics as theory, anatomy, and psychophysics. The author definitely has a strong command of perceptual history, but at times the book is filled with names, dates, and other factual information presented in an uninspired fashion. For example, the author manages to take a fascinating topic such as phantom limbs and distill it down to historical dates, definitions, and descriptions that are completely separate from the human experience of such a phenomenon. To his credit, however, he combats this dry approach with anecdotes from well-known scientists and philosophers, which is an appreciated addition to give the book a more human touch. Although the author's sources of information are mostly appropriate, readers should be aware that the he cites his own publications far more than those of any other single author. Some of these citations are from books that are not subject to scientific scrutiny and his journal articles are generally commentaries in journals for which he serves on the editorial board.
Assessment:This book provides a thorough and accurate description of perceptual theories and experiments throughout history. It is does not, however, provide a hands-on reference for understanding the nature of perceptual errors or illusions. Readers seeking a book filled with the classic optical illusions, such as the M?ller-Lyer, Poggendorff, or Hermann-grid illusions, will be disappointed. For readers seeking a more person-oriented perspective on disorders of perception, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, Sacks (HarperCollins, 1998) is an endearing and fascinating book that will surely capture one's imagination. On the other hand, readers seeking a historical perspective on the science of perceptual discovery will likely find this book of interest, but the cost may be prohibitive.

"The understanding of perception is central to our knowledge of the mind. Yet paradoxically, this understanding was born of centuries of fascination with errors of human perception. Perception and Illusion: Historical Perspectives elegantly retraces this scientific journey, not only in terms of its trials and errors but in its complex relationships with painting and medicine, philosophy and physics." "In this accessible volume, Nicholas Wade surveys over two millennia of scientific inquiry and research, describing the evolution of theories of light, sight, and illusion from early naturalistic observation to our sophisticated present-day experiments. Optics, physiology, and ophthalmology, are seen emerging from beneath the burden of tradition and dogma. So, too, do doctors and thinkers studying the senses become Practitioners devoted to specialized domains." "Perception and Illusion Historical Perspectives is illuminating reading for students of the history of psychology, optics, and medicine, and provides insights into the history and progress of science. In addition to charting these visual milestones, Wade reminds the reader in an articulate manner of perceptual controversies - including some of the most basic ones that have yet to be resolved."--Jacket. Our contact with the world is through perception, and therefore the study of the process is of obvious importance and signi?cance. For much of its long history, the study of perception has been con?ned to natural- tic observation. Nonetheless, the phenomena considered worthy of note have not been those that nurture our survival--the veridical features of perception--but the oddities or departures from the common and c- monplace accuracies of perception. With the move from the natural world to the laboratory the oddities of perception multiplied, and they received ever more detailed scrutiny. My general intention is to examine the interpretations of the perc- tual process and its errors throughout history. The emphasis on errors of perception might appear to be a narrow approach, but in fact it enc- passes virtually all perceptual research from the ancients until the present. The constancies of perception have been taken for granted whereas - partures from constancies (errors or illusions) have fostered fascination. Annotation "This volume traces the history of thinking about perception from its early philosophical roots to the modern laboratory. Some of the questions it considers have been asked since antiquity? Is what we see the truth? Are everyone's perceptual experiences the same? What is the nature of infants? perception? What kinds of mistakes are made in perceiving? Can perceptual experience be communicated to others? The author sets the groundwork with an explanation of the five senses and how science has come to observe them. He also explores the idea of perceptual error which becomes the lens through which the study of perception is viewed. This examination of perception is described in chapters devoted to historical periods from the Greeks to the present time following themes of adaptation and how the senses are linked to an intricately organized brain which not only helps us perceive what is necessary for survival, but also creates links from the patterns of sensory stimulation to language and thought." Annotation This volume traces the history of thinking about perception from its early philosophical roots to the modern laboratory. Some of the questions it considers have been asked since antiquity - Is what we see the truth? Are everyonebs perceptual experiences the same? What is the nature of infantsb perception? What kinds of mistakes are made in perceiving? Can perceptual experience be communicated to others? The author sets the groundwork with an explanation of the five senses and how science has come to observe them. He also explores the idea of perceptual error which becomes the lens through which the study of perception is viewed. This examination of perception is described in chapters devoted to historical periods from the Greeks to the present time following themes of adaptation and how the senses are linked to an intricately organized brain which not only helps us perceive what is necessary for survival, but also creates links from the patterns of sensory stimulation to language and thought Content: Ch. 1 Recording observations -- Ch. 2 Nature of perceptual error -- Ch. 3 Nature of veridicality -- Ch. 4 Perception in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries -- Ch. 5 Instrumental revolution in the nineteenth century -- Ch. 6 Response revolution in the nineteenth century -- Ch. 7 Fragmentation of the senses in the nineteenth century -- Ch. 8 Twentieth century: the multiplication of illusion. Abstract: Traces the history of thinking about perception from its early philosophical roots to the modern laboratory. This book sets the groundwork with an explanation of the five senses and how science has come to observe them. It also explores the idea of perceptual error which becomes the lens through which the study of perception is viewed. Read more...