Homework 2

due Tuesday 6/13

1. Sometimes when a person looks up at the night sky, they will only be able to perceive a faint star if they do not look directly at it. If they look directly at the location, they will only see the black sky, but if they focus slightly off to one side, they will be able to perceive the star in their peripheral vision. Explain why this phenomenon occurs based on what we covered in class on duplicity theory. (Hint: You will need to combine a couple pieces of information in the theory to answer this).

2. Here is an image of a black bar on a white background. Complete the diagram of lateral inhibition below to explain how we perceive the sharp edges of this bar. You need to fill in the bipolar cells, the lateral inhibition, and the resulting bipolar cell response. Finally, also explain why this results in our perception of a sharper border rather than a fuzzier border.