Further information: Jim Rafferty: Color Vision: Psychology, Physics, Neuroscience, Philosophy…

Expanded description

Classes will consist of informal lectures, combined with student questions and guided discussion. In keeping with the course goal of not simply providing you with information but involving you in critically thinking about the topics, I will ask lots of questions and facilitate problem solving discussions. One class will be devoted entirely to developing a hypothetical world and visual systems that are evolved for that world. You are requested not to Google topics to be discussed prior to a class meeting but are encouraged to do so following a class meeting…and raise questions at the next class meeting. I will structure my class meetings with presentation slides that follow the schedule of classes below.

Course materials

You will receive copies of the slides presented in a class meeting prior to each meeting. Some slides as well as info on particular slides might be omitted on these copies; this is to facilitate the discussion of and critical thinking about topics. Slides will be made available electronically (as .pdfs, with your choice of 1, 4, or 9 slides per page). The advantage of .pdfs is that you will have a color copy of what will be presented in class; in addition, you can choose the size of the slides to best suit your needs. All of the slides will be presented in class, so it will not be necessary to look at the .pdf while the Zoom class is meeting. Following the class, you will receive the complete set of slides shown during that class meeting (with links and any omitted material as well as notes from during the class). It will be important that you are comfortable with looking at .pdfs on your device; these will be the only way that you can access the course materials. I will not be providing (nor encouraging) printing of those materials. My hope is that the class uses as little paper and ink (especially color!) as possible.

Prior to a class meeting, you are encouraged to go through the slides you receive for that meeting and think about additional material that might be included or questions you might have; you are asked not to Google topics. After a class meeting, I encourage you to go through the complete set of slides shown during that class meeting, ensuring that you understand the logic of what was discussed and generating questions for anything that is not clear to be asked at the next class meeting. You are also encouraged to Google topics and share what you find at the next class meeting. There is not a text for this class.

Schedule of classes (subject to modification)

 Class         Topics
Jan. 5         Overview of major background concepts:

                           Stimuli and information
                           Processing and processing trade-offs
                           Construction of a (mental) representation and consciousness

                           Two “hard” philosophical questions in psychology and physics

                  Brief history of ideas about how vision works

Jan. 12       Questions and ideas concerning previous class meeting or found by Googling topics

                  What is the stimulus for vision? What information does it provide and how?

                           What is light? What is visible light?
                           Interaction of light and surfaces

                                    Characteristics of incident light

                                    Characteristics of reflected light

                                    Mixing colors: subtraction and addition

                                    Brief discussion of optics

                  How does the eye turn external information into internal information?

                           What information is preserved?

Jan. 19       Questions and ideas concerning previous class meeting or found by Googling topics

                  Are we all colorblind?

                  Discussion of some neuroscience

                           Neurons
                                    Action potentials: molecules and electrical change

                                    Information processing
                                    Visual pathways in the brain

                  What neural processing leads to color perception?

Jan. 26       Questions and ideas concerning previous class meeting or found by Googling topics

                  Discussion of color names and characteristics
                  What was the likely evolution of human color vision?

                           Considerations of environment and physiology

                  Discussion of color blindness and possible “fixes”

Feb. 2        Questions and ideas concerning previous class meeting or found by Googling topics

                  Discussion of color photography, printing, and screens
                  What colors do infants see and how is that related to physiological changes?
                  What changes in color perception are likely to occur in older adults…and how can they be “fixed”?

Feb. 9        Questions and ideas concerning previous class meeting or found by Googling topics

                  Discussion of “color” (EMR) perception in other organisms

                           Importance of available light and surface characteristics

                  What can be learned about environments and internal representations by considering the evolution of “color” (EMR) vision in other organisms?

Feb. 16      Questions and ideas concerning previous class meeting or found by Googling topics

                  Class project (in small groups):

               Develop a hypothetical system in which organisms have evolved to process “color” information (EMR); the   system should be (to the best of your ability) logically possible given what we know about the physics of the cosmos (you are free to Google info to check this)

                  Present your hypothetical system and organism, responding to questions and defending your decisions

Feb. 23      Questions and ideas concerning previous class meeting or found by Googling topics

                  Overview of class and discussion of any lingering topics
                  As time permits, discussion of the role of color in art…at least in terms of some of the topics covered in this class