OPT 114 Fundamentals of Vision Science
Topics include: (1) Light Perception: spectral, spatial, temporal properties of absolute threshold; duplex retina; brightness-difference and chromatic thresholds; spatial and temporal summation; dark and light adaptation; radiometry and photometry; contrast specification; (2) Color Perception: specification (hue, saturation, brightness); mixture and appearance; contrast, constancy, adaptation; colorimetry; spectral sensitivity; inheritance and classification of hereditary color deficiency; acquired anomalies; color vision testing (pseudoisochromatic plates, arrangement tests, anomaloscope); vocational aspects of color vision; (3) Form Perception: visual acuity and contrast sensitivity specification, test properties and tasks; impact of defocus, intensity and contrast on spatial vision; simultaneous contrast, spatial interactions, illusions, constancies, and figure-ground relations; (4) Space Perception: absolute and relative depth discrimination, monocular and binocular cues; stereopsis; binocular summation; (5) Temporal Perception: critical flicker fusion frequency; sub fusional flicker; masking; temporal contrast sensitivity function; stabilized imagery; saccadic suppression; (6) Motion Perception: real and apparent motion; displacement detection; motion after-effects; dynamic visual acuity, impact of target and observer motion; (7) Psychophysical Methods and Theory: measurement of threshold (limits, adjustment, constant stimuli, forced choice, yes/no); suprathreshold matching and scaling; signal detection theory; (8) Neurophysiology of Vision: single neuron, parallel pathways, and electrophysiological correlates of visual perception.