Seeing Spatial Form

the World Is Divided Into Objects: Things That Are Distinct From Their Backgrounds And That Can Move Or Be Moved. Objects Are Food And Prey And Threats, As Well As Neutral Items, And It Is Critical To Be Able To See Them. How The Form Of An Object Is Distinguished Is One Of The Most Basic, Yet Least Understood, Topics Of Research In Vision Perception. The Object-defining System Needs To Operate In The Real World, Where Objects And Viewers Move, And Where The Scene Is Cluttered, Rarely Offering A Clear, Unobscured View Of Any Object. How Are We Able To See And Define Objects Using The Complex Pattern Of Light Falling On The Retina? An Object Becomes Visible If It Differs Sufficiently From Its Surroundings In Its Luminance, Color, Texture, Motion, Or Depth. Although The Processes That Use These Different Cues Are Quite Distinct, Research Has Shown That They Share Some Organizational Principles. This Book, seeing Spatial Form , Is Dedicated To David Martin Regan Who Has Made So Many Contributions To Our Understanding Of How We See Objects. Its Chapters Bring Together Ideas From Some Of The World's Leading Researchers In Form Vision To Explain What We Know About Distinguishing Form. The Book Includes A Cd-rom, Which Contains Additional Demonstrations And Color Images That Considerably Enhance The Chapter Contents. seeing Spatial Form Will Be An Invaluable Resource For Student And Professional Researchers In Vision Science, Cognitive Psychology, And Neuroscience. doody Review Services reviewer: christopher J. Graver, Phd(madigan Army Medical Center) description: this Book Represents A Thorough Exploration Of The Incredible Complexity And Miraculous Abilities Of The Human Visual System. Topics Range From The Development Of The Visual System To The Neural Basis Of Vision To Motion And Color Perception. purpose: this Book Is Intended To Bring Together Leading Researchers In Visual Science To Explain Our Current Knowledge About Form Vision. This Book Also Is A Tribute To David Martin Regan And There Is An Appendix Of Selected Publications. audience: according To The Authors, This Book Is Intended For Students And Professional Researchers In Vision Science, Neuroscience, And Cognitive Psychology. It Is Certainly Appropriate For These Audiences. features: this Is A Very Nice Book Covering The Specific Field Of Form Recognition In Vision Science. It Covers A Wide Variety Of Topics And Does So Thoroughly. The Contributors Are Quite Knowledgeable In Their Fields And Their Expertise Is Apparent In The Chapters. A Good Understanding Of Statistics, Graphical Displays, Physics, And Mathematics Will Be Essential To Fully Appreciate This Book. While Much Of The Text Is Technical In Nature, Figures Illustrate Complex Concepts. In Addition, Deborah Giaschi Has Composed An All Too Brief Clinical Chapter That Addresses Form Perception In Various Diseases (e.g., Multiple Sclerosis And Parkinson's Disease), As Well As Normal Development. The Accompanying Cd-rom Is Helpful In Providing High Quality Replications Of Figures, Animated Demonstrations, And Powerpoint Presentations. The Cd-rom Also Includes A Pdf Version Of The Book For Convenient Access At The Desktop. assessment: vision Science Is A Highly Complex And Fascinating Field Of Research. This Book Brings Together Experts In The Field To Explain Our Current Knowledge. It Is Not, However, An Introductory Text And Assumes A Substantial Background In This Area. While It Is Utterly Technical In Parts, It Would Be Appropriate For Anyone Interested In Vision, Visual Processing, And The Neurosciences. Students And Professionals Immersed In This Field Will Find This To Be A Valuable Book; Casual Readers Will Want To Pass This One By. 1. Seeing Spatial Form Part I. Form Vision 2. Pictorial relief 3. Geometry and spatial vision 4. The inputs to global form detection 5. Probability multiplication as a new principle in psychophysics 6. Spatial form as inherently three-dimensional Part II. Motion and Color 7. White's effect in lightness, color, and motion 8. The processing of motion-defined form 9. Vision in flying, driving, and sport 10. Form-from-watercolor in surface perception and old maps Part III. Eye Movements 11. The basis of saccadic decision: What we can learn from visual search and visual attention12. Handling real forms in Focuses on the understanding of how we see objects. This book features chapters, which explain what we know about distinguishing form. It includes a CD-ROM, which contains additional demonstrations and color images that enhance the chapter contents. It is useful for those interested in vision science, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience