UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN: THE

NEUROBIOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE

CATALINA TRUJILLO BUCHELI

FINAL PROJECT

THE TRUTH ABOUT PERCEIVINGNG COLORS

INTRODUCTION

• As we already know, there are different types of cells in the retina. They all have different functions that are important for us to be able to see.

• There are two kinds of photoreceptors: cones and rods.

• Rods are responsible por perceiving light variations, and are the ones that help us see at night or in the dark.

• Cones work when there’s a lot of light, like during the day. Thanks to them, we perceive colors.

• Even though she’s not looking directly at her husband, she can still see him.

• Assuming she doesn’t know what color her husband’s t-shirt is, ¿do you think she can perceive it without looking directly to it?

• As you can see in the figure, the place of the retina that is stimulated when we look at something depends on the angle light eneters the eye (cornea, pupil, lens, vitreous humor).

• In our example, the husband’s t-shirt is going into her eye in a peripheral way, which means the part of the retina stimulated by it is far from the center, know as the macula.

• As a psychology student, we like to do lots of experiments. That’s where the idea of the final project came from. It turns out, when you perceive something that is not in front of you, your chances of perceiving the color correctly decrease.

• This is because, as we all learned in the course, in the retina, the center is full of cones, and the periphery is full of rods. Therefore, information about the husband’s t-shirt goes straight to the periphery, and since there are less cones there, the perception of color can be distorted.

Retina

Rods Cones

If you want to experience this deficit in perception of colors, you can do it with a

Schweigger perimeter!!

HOW THIS COURSE HAS INFLUENCED MY LIFE

• I’m sure many of you will understand what it’s like to be a complete geek when it comes to the

brain. This course, has been in many ways my motivation to continue with my carrier to be able to

get a master’s degree in neuroscience, and even more.

• It’s also been helpful when trying to understand the physiological processes that underline everyday

tasks like memory and atention.

• Once you understand how thinkgs work, you’ll be one step ahead in preventing any problem that you could encounter. This applies not only to me, but also to the people who surround me. If there’s ever a problem, afeter taking this course, chances are I will be able to see it and understand it in another way.