Visual Perception and the Brain (Coursera)

Learners will be introduced to the problems that vision faces, using perception as a guide. The course will consider how what we see is generated by the visual system, what the central problem for vision is, and what visual perception indicates about how the brain works.

The evidence will be drawn from neuroscience, psychology, the history of vision science and what philosophy has contributed. Although the discussions will be informed by visual system anatomy and physiology, the focus is on perception. We see the physical world in a strange way, and goal is to understand why.

Syllabus

WEEK 1 – Background

WEEK 2 – Seeing Lightness, Darkness and Color

WEEK 3 – Seeing Space

WEEK 4 – Seeing Motion

WEEK 5 – Summing Up