Seeing: How the Brain Creates the Visual World

Explore how our visual system and human psychology influence our world view

Our visual system is complicated; using our eyes and brains to convert external information into internal feelings and enabling us to see and interpret the world.

On this four-week course from the National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), you’ll explore how our eyes and brains constitute the visual world for us and discover that seeing is not always believing.

Learn the basics of the human visual system

This course focuses on visual perception, and the first thing you’ll learn is how this sensory system works. You’ll look at how light rays are converted into neural signals, which are then sent to the brain.

You’ll also learn how depth, colour, and object perception occur once the visual system signals reach the brain, delving into the many factors (including age and gender) that influence what individuals ‘see’.

Investigate the relationship between sensory input and visual perception

Human psychology also has a huge impact on how sensory system signals are interpreted. You’ll get to unpack how what we feel, and the experiences we have had, influence what we perceive.

By looking at how psychologists interpret sensation and perception, you’ll see how interrelated they are and how they influence our attention and other mental processes.

Understand how your sensory perception impacts the way you experience the world

Finally, NCTU will guide you in applying the theory you’ve learnt to your own life. By the end of this course, you’ll have much greater insights into human psychology in general, and into your unique mind in particular.

This course is designed for anyone interested in human psychology, and understanding more about how the visual system works.

• How lights are converted into neural signals
• Introduction
• The retina
• The cortex
• Review of week 1
• Color perception
• Color is in the eye of beholder
• Tricrhomatic theory
• Opponent-process theory and color constancy
• Review of week 2
• Depth perception
• Depth cues
• How do we differentiate size
• Object perception
• Object perception
• Perceptual organization
• Peceiving scenes
• Conclusion