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Visual Perception and the Brain

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Visual Perception and the Brain

Instructor: Dale Purves

37,077 already enrolled

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

9 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

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There are 5 modules in this course

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.

What's included

20 videos3 readings2 assignments

20 videosTotal 131 minutes

Course Introduction5 minutes
Background: What We Actually See3 minutes
The Strange Way We See the Physical World (part 1)8 minutes
The Strange Way We See the Physical World (part 2)7 minutes
The Inverse Problem8 minutes
Summary of Topic One2 minutes
Visual Stimuli4 minutes
Making an Image6 minutes
Summary of Topic Two2 minutes
The Eye (part 1)10 minutes
The Eye (part 2)5 minutes
The Retina (part 1)7 minutes
The Retina (Part 2)13 minutes
The Primary Visual Pathway (part 1)10 minutes
The Primary Visual Pathway (part 2)9 minutes
The Visual Cortex (part 1)13 minutes
The Visual Cortex (part 2)11 minutes
The Concept of Receptive Fields4 minutes
Summary of Topic Three3 minutes
Summary of Module One2 minutes

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

About the Course10 minutes
Grading Policy10 minutes
Report a problem with the course10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Module1, Topic 130 minutes
Module 1, Topics 2-330 minutes

What's included

17 videos2 assignments

17 videosTotal 116 minutes

Definitions5 minutes
Discrepancies between Luminance and Lightness13 minutes
More Complex Examples as Counter Evidence8 minutes
An Empirical Explanation Based on Accumulated Experience (part 1)7 minutes
An Empirical Explanation Based on Accumulated Experience (part 2)10 minutes
Summary of Topic One2 minutes
Definitions3 minutes
Light and Color8 minutes
How the Retina Initiates Color Vision (part 1)10 minutes
How the Retina Initiates Color Vision (part 2)7 minutes
Why Do We Have Color Vision?3 minutes
Describing Color Perception12 minutes
The Strange Way We See Color11 minutes
An Empirical Answer (part 1)7 minutes
An Empirical Answer (part 2)5 minutes
Topic Summary3 minutes
Module Summary0 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Module 2, Topic 130 minutes
Module 2, Topic 230 minutes

What's included

19 videos2 assignments

19 videosTotal 129 minutes

Geometrical “Illusions”14 minutes
The Inverse Problem in Geometry3 minutes
Seeing the Length of Lines6 minutes
An Empirical Explanation of Apparent Line Length (part 1)9 minutes
An Empirical Explanation of Apparent Line Length (part 2)6 minutes
The Perception of Angles5 minutes
An Empirical Explanation9 minutes
Seeing Object Size7 minutes
An Empirical Explanation11 minutes
Topic Summary2 minutes
Definitions1 minute
Seeing Distance with One Eye12 minutes
Seeing Depth with Two Eyes (Stereopsis, part 1)8 minutes
Seeing Depth with Two Eyes (Stereopsis, part 2)5 minutes
Explaining Stereopsis8 minutes
Random Dot Stereograms and the Correspondence Problem7 minutes
Binocular Fusion (part 1)7 minutes
Binocular Fusion (part 2)8 minutes
Topic Summary1 minute

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Module 3, Topic 130 minutes
Module 3, Topic 230 minutes

What's included

9 videos1 assignment

9 videosTotal 55 minutes

Definitions2 minutes
Phenomena that Need Explaining2 minutes
Apparent Motion5 minutes
Motion After Effects4 minutes
The Inverse Problem for Motion3 minutes
Perceived Speed: The Flash-Lag Effect7 minutes
An Empirical Explanation of the Flash-Lag Effect10 minutes
Perceived Direction: Aperture Effects8 minutes
An Empirical Explanation13 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Module 430 minutes

What's included

11 videos1 reading2 assignments1 peer review

11 videosTotal 67 minutes

Alternative Conceptions of Vision2 minutes
Vision as Feature Detection (part 1)11 minutes
Vision as Feature Detection (part 2)5 minutes
Vision as Inference (part 1)4 minutes
Vision as Inference (part 2)8 minutes
Vision as Efficient Coding9 minutes
Vision as Way of Contending with the Inverse Problem3 minutes
Topic Summary2 minutes
Does the Brain Work by Computing?7 minutes
Or is the Brain an Engine of Reflex Associations?11 minutes
Some Concluding Remarks6 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Share your learning experience10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Module 5, Topic 130 minutes
Module 5, Topic 230 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Peer Review120 minutes

Instructor

Dale Purves

Duke University

2 Courses102,778 learners

Offered by

Duke University

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When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.