Looking at Looking: An Introduction to the Intelligence of Vision

"Looking at Looking promises to be slightly controversial and fun. Visual perception is a core topic in experimental psychology, and these authors are central figures to the field. . . . The book will be useful in undergraduate courses in perception that additionally use standard works to provide more content, and it will be read by graduate students and faculty in the field for interest in how these authors address one another. . . . I would purchase the book and I would very likely use it as supplementary reading in upper-level courses on perception."

--Gregory Lockhead, Duke University

"I think the idea behind the book is very good. It is very hard to get students interested in science. If one succeeds in this, they are often frustrated if presented with differing viewpoints; they want black and white answers they can recite on a test. This is terrible because science is a lively, dynamic process in which disagreement and debate play an important role. From what I have seen, Looking at Looking conveys this quite well in a manner that would not frustrate students. . . . I think the structure and overall organization is creative and part of the book′s strength. . . . Moreover, the authors and commentators enlisted are stellar. . . . I think it would serve as a wonderful supplementary text in sensation and perception."

--Lawrence Cormack, University of Texas, Austin

"This book has potential as a supplement for more advanced courses, such as in a second to fourth year Sensation and Perception course. These courses have the time to discuss the issues covered, and can do it at an appropriate level."

--Stanley Coren, University of British Columbia

"The authors are of a very high caliber as perceptual authorities, as representatives of different schools of thought, and in many cases are already well known as excellent writers. . . . a book with these contributors would be a great entrée into contemporary perception psychology. . . . The key strengths are the expertise of the contributors, the engaging format, and the interesting examples they use."

--Greg Burton, Seton Hall University

One of the most persistent controversies of modern science had dealt with human visual perception. Different schools have argued over such issues as the origins of our capacity to perceive space, retinal mechanisms that mediate color sensations, and the role of mind, experience, and inference in vision. This volume brings together a selection of the most influential current thinkers in the area of visual perception. We are confused by our visual systems (for instance, by size distortions), but there is an underlying "intelligence" to out visual systems, even in the face of what would seem to be short-circuits within our sensory processing. This book explores varying views of that "intelligence." Ideal as supplemental reading in upper-division courses on sensation and perception and on vision.

Dr. Parks is primarily interested in visual perception from a "militantly eclectic" point of view, but with a special interest in innate "intelligent" processes as they occur in various aspects of perception. His research for the past several years has primarily revolved around illusions including standard geometric examples, but most often illusory contours. He has secondary interests in iconic storage aperture viewing (the so called "Parks-Effect") and non-traditional instances of human memory phenomena (especially memory illusions).