visual processing
How eyes understand
Visual processing is how the brain interprets information received through the eyes—recognizing shapes, colors, faces, motion, and spatial relationships.
The term appears in neuroscience, psychology, and education, where visual processing disorders can affect reading and learning: Her visual processing speed improved with therapy.
Strong visual processing helps with tasks from reading maps to catching a ball.
Posterior brain vision area
- optic nerveRetina-brain neural connection
- retinaLight-sensing tissue layer
- photoreceptorCell responding to light
- rodsThin cylindrical shafts
cones · fovea · macula · neural pathway · V2 · superior colliculus · thalamus
Identifying regularities in inputs
- face recognitionIdentifying individuals by countenance
- figure-groundPerceptual separation of object and background
- gestaltIntegrated perceptual whole
- spatial awarenessSense of physical positioning
feature detection · depth perception · motion detection · color perception · mental imagery · change blindness · selective attention
Finding boundaries in images
- filteringSelective passage of elements
- integrationCombining into a whole
- segmentationDivision into sections
- predictive codingBrain anticipates sensory data
Inability to interpret sensations
- blindsightVisual processing sans awareness
- hemianopiaBlindness in half-field
- scotomaLocalized vision absence
- metamorphopsiaPerception of warped images
Magnetic neural activity imaging
- EEGNeural activity recording
- PET scanRadiotracer-based internal imaging
- neuroimagingVisualizing nervous system structure
- electrophysiologyBiology's electrical activity science
brain mapping · neuroplasticity · neurotransmitter · action potential · feedforward · feedback loops
occipital lobe
Posterior brain vision area
- optic nerveRetina-brain neural connection
- retinaLight-sensing tissue layer
- photoreceptorCell responding to light
rods · cones · fovea · macula · neural pathway · V2 · superior colliculus · thalamus
pattern recognition
Identifying regularities in inputs
- face recognitionIdentifying individuals by countenance
- figure-groundPerceptual separation of object and background
- gestaltIntegrated perceptual whole
feature detection · spatial awareness · depth perception · motion detection · color perception · mental imagery · change blindness · selective attention
edge detection
Finding boundaries in images
- filteringSelective passage of elements
- integrationCombining into a whole
- segmentationDivision into sections
agnosia
Inability to interpret sensations
- blindsightVisual processing sans awareness
- hemianopiaBlindness in half-field
- scotomaLocalized vision absence
fMRI
Magnetic neural activity imaging
- EEGNeural activity recording
- PET scanRadiotracer-based internal imaging
- neuroimagingVisualizing nervous system structure
electrophysiology · brain mapping · neuroplasticity · neurotransmitter · action potential · feedforward · feedback loops
visual processinghearing
Perceiving sound waves
sound processing · auditory · tactile · olfactory · echolocation
visual processingabstract reasoning
Thought using concepts alone
semantic processing · logical reasoning · language processing · executive function
visual processingabstract thought
Cognition beyond tangible reality
language processing · executive function · memory retrieval · emotional processing · decision-making
visual, processing, visualize, visuals, visualization, visualized, visualizing, audiovisual, visualizer