From perceptive fields to Gestalt.
Studies on visual psychophysics and perception conducted in the Freiburg psychophysics laboratory during the last 35 years are reviewed. Many of these were inspired by single-cell neurophysiology in cat and monkey. The aim was to correlate perceptual phenomena and their effects to possible neuronal mechanisms from retina to visual cortex and beyond. Topics discussed include perceptive field organization, figure-ground segregation and grouping, fading and filling-in, and long-range color interaction. While some of these studies succeeded in linking perception to neuronal response patterns, others require further investigation. The task of probing the human brain with perceptual phenomena continues to be a challenge for the future.
Spillmann
Lothar
L
Dept. of Neurology, Neurozentrum, University Hospital, Breisacher Strasse 64, 79106 Freiburg, Germany. lothar.spillmann@zfn-brain.uni-freiburg.de
D005863:Gestalt Theory / Q000266:history; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009482:Neurophysiology / Q000266:history*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011601:Psychophysics / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*