Bilkent University Library is very pleased to invite you to attend the third Library Lunchtime Lecture of this semester!
Title: Reality Constructed. How Does the Visual System Work?
Speaker: Hüseyin Boyacı, Department of Psychology and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Bilkent University
Date: Wednesday, December 16
Time: 12:40-1:30 p.m.
We perceive the world around us effortlessly. It is this simplicity and triviality that delude us into believing firmly that what we perceive is the absolute physical reality. However, for various reasons, what we perceive is only a useful interpretation of what is really out there. First of all, our vision is limited in its capacity to process the visual input impinging on our retinas (the retina is the back of our eyes that houses the light-sensitive photoreceptors): we can see only a limited portion of the electromagnetic spectrum; we have limited spatial acuity; and, we are visually sensitive to only a limited range of speeds. Moreover, even within the limits of what we can see, all that the visual system can rely on are a pair of inherently ambiguous retinal images. In this talk, Dr Boyacı will discuss examples that illustrate the difficulties that the visual system faces when interpreting the visual input, show behavioral and neuronal methods used to study how vision deals with ambiguities, and survey some of the important empirical findings and theoretical models in vision research. He will conclude by emphasizing the importance of studying vision as a model for better understanding the human brain.
The lecture will be in English.
Lunchtime refreshments will be supplied!