Vision

Question 1

Accommodation

Answer 1

The process through which the lens is adjusted by contracting/relaxing the muscles around the lens

Question 2

Aerial perspective

Answer 2

A pictorial depth cue caused by the visual effect of light when passing through the atmosphere that causes distant objects to appear hazy/blue

Question 3

Brightness / Amplitude

Answer 3

The height of the wave; describes the level of energy present

Question 4

Centre-surround antagonism

Answer 4

The centre and surround produce opposite responses

Question 5

Complex cells

Answer 5

Cells located in the visual cortex that respond to the orientation of a bar of light as well as the direction of its movement

Question 6

Compound eye

Answer 6

Consists of many tiny light capturing elements known as ommatidia

Question 7

Convergence

Answer 7

Depth cues provided by feedback from the extra ocular muscles in the eye

Question 8

Cornea

Answer 8

Transparent layer at the front of the eye that allows light to pass into the eye; responsible for 80% of eyes focusing power

Question 9

Dorsal pathway

Answer 9

The “where pathway”, information processed along the parietal lobe

Question 10

Electromagnetic spectrum

Answer 10

The range of wavelengths over which electromagnetic radiation extends

Question 11

Fovea

Answer 11

Section of the retina where most cones are present and visual acuity is highest

Question 12

Ganglion cell

Answer 12

Type of cell in the retina, receives input from the rods/cones

Question 13

Hue / wavelength

Answer 13

The distance between the crests of the wave, generally refers to what most people mean by colour

Question 14

Hypercomplex cells

Answer 14

Cells in the visual cortex that have all the features of a complex cell but are also sensitive to the length of the bar of light

Question 15

Hyperopia

Answer 15

Farsightedness; able to see things far way but not close

Question 16

Interposition

Answer 16

A pictorial depth cue where one object overlaps and thereby occludes another object

Question 17

Iris

Answer 17

Donut-Shaped ring that controls the diameter of the pupil, gives the eye colour

Question 18

Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)

Answer 18

Located at the end of the optic track on both sides of the brain, acts as the primary relay station for visual information

Question 19

Lens

Answer 19

Curved and flexible structure in the eye that is responsible for about 20% of the eye’s focusing power

Question 20

Linear perspective

Answer 20

Pictorial depth cue where parallel lines will appear to converge on a single vanishing point in the horizon

Question 21

Magnocellular

Answer 21

Cells in layers 1 and 2 of the LGN

Question 22

Motion parallax

Answer 22

Cue to depth based on the apparent speed of near and far object while you are in motion

Question 23

Muller-Lyer illusion

Answer 23

Where two identical lines are made to look like they are different lengths by the placement of arrows on the line ends

Question 24

Myopia

Answer 24

Nearsightedness; able to see up close but not far away

Question 25

Nasal

Answer 25

Area of the retina closest to the nose

Question 26

Necker cube

Answer 26

A line drawing of a transparent cube that has an ambiguous perception with regards to its 3D shape

Question 27

Ocular dominance columns

Answer 27

Stripes of neurons in the visual cortex that respond preferentially to input from the right or left eye

Question 28

Ommatidia

Answer 28

Light capturing element of a compound eye

Question 29

Optic chiasm

Answer 29

Point in the brain where the optic nerve from the nasal part of the retina crosses

Question 30

Optic disk / blind spot

Answer 30

Point of entry on the retina for the optic nerve, contains no photoreceptors

Question 31

Optic flow

Answer 31

The perceived motion of the visual field that results from an individuals own movement through the environment

Question 32

Optic nerve

Answer 32

Retinal ganglion axons exit through the optic nerve, pathway before the optic chiasm

Question 33

Optic tract

Answer 33

Pathway after the optic chiasm

Question 34

Orientation columns

Answer 34

Stripes of neurons in the visual cortex that respond preferentially to stimuli of a specific angle

Question 35

Parvocellular

Answer 35

Cells located on layers 3-6 of the LGN

Question 36

Perception

Answer 36

The ability to become aware of something through our senses

Question 37

Photoreceptor

Answer 37

Cell that responds to light; rods/cones

Question 38

Pinwheels

Answer 38

Areas of the visual cortex that do not have an orientation preference, but show a preference for other features such as brightness/colour

Question 39

Preferential looking paradigm

Answer 39

Method used to determine grating acuity in infants

Question 40

Primary visual cortex

Answer 40

First part of the cerebral cortex that is responsible for processing visual information

Question 41

Receptive field

Answer 41

Area where a stimulus elicits a response

Question 42

Rhodopsin

Answer 42

Light sensitive pigment in the retina

Question 43

Saturation

Answer 43

Purity of hue

Question 44

Sclera

Answer 44

The white of the eye, continuous with the cornea

Question 45

Sensation

Answer 45

The transformation of physical characteristics of the world into electrical signals in our NS

Question 46

Shading

Answer 46

Pictorial depth cue that can help to indicate the direction of light; which typically comes from ABOVE

Question 47

Simple cells

Answer 47

Cells located in the visual cortex that respond to the orientation of bars of light

Question 48

Simple eye

Answer 48

Eye with a single lens

Question 49

Stereopsis

Answer 49

Perception of depth through the use of binocular disparity

Question 50

Stereoscope

Answer 50

Device that creates the illusion of depth from two photographs taken of the same thing from different angles

Question 51

Temporal

Answer 51

Area of the retina closest to the temples

Question 52

Transduction

Answer 52

The transmission of electrical signals down the optic nerve

Question 53

Ventral pathway

Answer 53

The "what pathway", information processed along the temporal lobe

Question 54

Ventriloquism

Answer 54

The production of sound so that it seems to be coming from a source other than the speaker

Question 55

Visual capture

Answer 55

The dominance of vision over other sensory modalities

Question 56

Visual spectrum

Answer 56

The range of electromagnetic spectrum that can be seen by humans