Unlike simpler texts, this volume also provides deep dives into the motor controls of vision, such as accommodation (the eye's ability to focus) and vergence (the simultaneous movement of both eyes to maintain single binocular vision). Development and Neural Plasticity
The text follows the visual signal from the eye through the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN) to the visual cortex. It pays specific attention to the columnar organization of the cortex, which is specialized for depth-related processing. Perceiving in Depth Volume 1 Basic Mechanisms
Howard details historical display systems like panoramas, peepshows, and the invention of the stereoscope, which first allowed humans to artificially simulate depth. Unlike simpler texts, this volume also provides deep
Howard explores how the brain translates raw light signals into meaningful geometric representations of space. and the invention of the stereoscope
The volume opens by tracing visual science from the ancient Greeks to the early 20th century, highlighting the evolution of our understanding of perspective and stereoscopic vision.
The book emphasizes "experience-dependent" neural plasticity—the idea that the brain's visual circuits must be "tuned" by environmental stimuli during early development to function correctly.