PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Color Vision, Peripheral Vision, Electromagnetic Spectrum

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jill L Atkinson

Document Summary

The adequate stimulus for vision is light. Light is a form of electromagnetic energy: the electromagnetic radiation we are sensitive to is a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum (visible light spectrum) Light is made up of photons: the colour we see depends on the wavelength or frequency of the light, brightness depends on the intensity of the light. Photons travel in wave creating wavelength and amplitude: the visible light spectrum has a wavelength between 400 (violet) and 700 (red) nm, the higher the amplitude, the brighter it is. The eye is the sensory organ: the eye"s major structures are the cornea, pupil, lens, and retina. Cornea: a transparent layer covering the front portion of the eye, which contributes to our ability to focus on an object. It is primarily responsible for bringing light into the eye and acts as a lens to focus the light: since the shape cannot change, only one focus is possible.