University of California, Berkeley

The study of visual perception of spatial structure will be covered from an interdisciplinary perspective, emphasizing results from perceptual psychology, visual neuroscience, and computer vision. Topics will include image-based processing, perceiving surfaces in depth, perceptual organization, perceptual constancy, and object recognition. The major theoretical perspectives (inferential, ecological, and computational) will be introduced and then the empirical findings will be placed in the context of these perspectives. Both pros and cons of different approaches to phenomena in perception will be discussed and possibilities for novel synthesis will be explored.

Class 1: Vision as a Cognitive Science

Readings:

Palmer, S. E. (1999). "An introduction to vision science" (Chapter 1 in: Vision science: Photons to phenomenology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.)

Class 2: Perceiving and Categorizing Colors

Readings:

Palmer, S. E. (1999). "Color Vision: A microcosm of vision science" (Chapter 3 in: Vision science: Photons to phenomenology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.)

Class 3: Perceiving Surface Layout

Readings:

Palmer, S. E. (1999). "Perceiving surface oriented in depth" (Chapter 5 in: Vision science: Photons to phenomenology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.)

Class 4: Perceiving Organization and Structure

Readings:

Palmer, S. E. (1999). "Organizing objects and scenes" (Chapter 6 in: Vision science: Photons to phenomenology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.)

Class 5: Perceiving Function and Category

Readings:

Palmer, S. E. (1999). "Representing shape and structure" (Chapter 8 in: Vision science: Photons to phenomenology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), and Palmer, S. E. (1999). "Perceiving function and category" (Chapter 9 in: Vision science: Photons to phenomenology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.)

Small Groups
Group discussions, work in groups on experimental design and interpretation of results.

Assessment
Participant wishing to get credits for this course should write a paper on a topics on human vision.

Stephen E. Palmer is Professor of Psychology, Director of the Institute of Cognitive Studies, and Director of the Undergraduate Major in Cognitive Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His main research interests are in the field of perceptual organization, cognitive representation, and information processing approach to cognition. He is a member of the Society of Experimental Psychologists, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a Fellow of the American Psychological Society, former editor of "Cognitive Psychology," and editor of the Cognitive Psychology series for MIT Press. He is the author of "Vision Science: Photons to Phenomenology" (1999, MIT Press), a new, high-level textbook on the subject matter of the proposed course, as well as many chapters and journal articles on various aspects of visual perception.