Comparative Vision

Bibliographic Data

ID23675656
AuthorsGerald H Jacobs (University of California, Santa Barbara, corresponding author)
Year2012
Publication date2012-09-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeOTHER
VenueHandbook of Psychology, Second Edition (JOURNAL)
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/9781118133880.hop203003
OpenAlexW2914379324
ISBN9781118133880
LanguageEN
References cited157

Almost all animals have eyes and make extensive use of visual information to support the critical choices they must make to survive and prosper. The chapter starts with a discussion of the informational possibilities offered by the photic environment and then provides a comparative examination of the basic biological mechanisms underlying animal vision. The latter includes a consideration of eye design and photosensitivity with an examination of how these processes have played out in the course of the evolution of eyes. Following a brief treatment of the role of the nervous system in the visual process, and some illustrations of how vision has been assessed in nonhuman species, three essential goals of seeing are considered: (1) detection of changes in the visual environment, (2) resolution of spatial structure, and (3) exploitation of chromatic cues. Each of these issues is illustrated by examples drawn from research done on a wide variety of different species.

Chromatic scale · Cognitive science · Human–computer interaction · Process (computing) · Variety (cybernetics) · Artificial Intelligence · Communication · Computer Science · Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research · Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies · Psychology · Retinal Development and Disorders