PSYC 2650 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Retinal Ganglion Cell, Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, Monocular Vision
12 Oct 2018
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Document Summary
Visual system is one area that has been mapped in considerable detail. It takes its main output from the rods and cones on the retina. Info is sent via the optic nerve to the brain. Cells in the optic nerve do much more than transmit info, they begin the analysis of the visual input. This is reflected in the phenomenon of lateral inhibition= edge enhancement. What we know about the brain comes from single-cell recording, which can record the electrical activity of an individual neuron. Allowed researchers to map the receptive fields of many cells. The mapping has provided evidence for a high degree of specialization among the various parts of the visual system, with some parts specialized for the perception of motion and colour. Function in parallel show great speed, and allows mutual influence among multiple systems. Parallel processing begins in the optic nerve and continues throughout the visual system.
