Understanding Vision: Light and the Eye

A set of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to vision, light energy, and the workings of the eye and brain.

Visible Light

Pulses of electromagnetic energy within the spectrum that can be perceived by the human eye.

Wavelength

The distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the next wave, determining color and sound.

Short Wavelength

Characterized by high frequency, bluish colors, and high-pitched sounds.

Large Amplitude

Results in bright colors and loud sounds.

Long Wavelength

Characterized by low frequency, reddish colors, and low-pitched sounds.

Iris

The colored portion of the eye that controls the size of the pupil opening.

Pupil

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.

Cornea

The transparent protective layer at the front of the eye that helps focus light.

Rods

Retinal receptor cells that detect black, white, and are necessary for peripheral vision.

Cones

Retinal receptor cells that detect color and fine detail, primarily functioning in well-lit conditions.

Optic Nerve

The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.

Feature Detectors

Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus such as shape, angle, or movement

Parallel Processing

The simultaneous processing of multiple aspects of visual information such as motion, form, depth, and color.

Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory

The theory that the retina contains three color receptors sensitive to red, green, and blue, which can combine to produce the perception of any color.

Opponent Process Theory

The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision, where some cells are stimulated by one color and inhibited by another.

Hue

The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth.

Intensity

The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which is perceived as brightness or loudness, respectively. It is determined by the wave's amplitude.

Accommodation

The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.

Saturation

The purity or vividness of a color, determined by the homogeneity of the wavelengths present in the light. Highly saturated colors are pure and rich, while desaturated colors are duller.

Bipolar Cells

Eye neurons that receive information from the retinal receptor cells (rods and cones) and distribute information to the ganglion cells.

Ganglion Cells

Specialized neurons in the retina that collect visual information from bipolar cells; their axons form the optic nerve and transmit signals to the brain.