Sight Unseen: An Exploration of Conscious and Unconscious Vision

by Melvyn Goodale, David Milner

Overview

Vision, more than any other sense, dominates our mental life. Our conscious visual experience of the world is so rich and detailed that we can hardly distinguish it from the real thing. But as Goodale and Milner make clear in their prize-winning book, Sight Unseen, our visual experience of the world is not all there is to vision. Some of the most important things that vision does for us never reach our consciousness at all. In this updated and extended new edition, Goodale and Milner explore one of the most extraordinary neurological cases of recent years--one that profoundly changed scientific views on the visual brain. It is the story of Dee Fletcher--a young woman who became blind to shape and form as a result of brain damage. Dee was left unable to recognize objects or even tell one simple geometric shape from another. As events unfolded, however, Goodale and Milner found that Dee wasn't in fact blind -- she just didn't know that she could see. They showed, for example, that Dee could reach out and grasp objects with amazing dexterity, despite being unable to perceive their shape, size, or orientation. Taking us on a journey into the unconscious brain, the two scientists who made this incredible discovery tell the amazing story of their work, and the surprising conclusion they were forced to reach. Written to be accessible to students and popular science readers, this book is a fascinating illustration of the power of the 'unconscious' mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191662409
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	06/27/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

In the 1990s, David Milner and Mel Goodale published a book for OUP, now considered to one of the most important psychology books of the last 20 years - one that significantly altered our understanding of the nature of consciousness - 'The visual brain in action'. The book is one of the most frequently cited books in the field of consciousness (most recently by Nobel Laureate - Francis Crick).

Table of Contents

	Prologue	1
1	A tragic accident	5
2	Doing without seeing	17
3	When vision for action fails	31
4	The origins of vision: from modules to models	39
5	Streams within streams	57
6	Why do we need two systems?	73
7	Getting it all together	97
8	Postscript: Dee's life fifteen years on	117
	Epilogue	127
	Further Reading	129
	Index	131

Editorial Reviews

3 Stars from Doody

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From the Publisher

Reviewer: Celso Agner, MD, MS, MSc (Michigan Neurology Partners)
Description: The ability to see our environment without distortion is one of the principle ways we interpret the world around us. Because it fascinates scientists, vision has been a very well researched field that still requires periodic review of its neurophysiology.
Purpose: The purpose of this book is to address various aspects of vision, depth perception, and the organization of spatial vision in humans. These worthy objectives are well addressed by the authors.
Audience: Neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neurophysiologists are the main audience for this book.
Features: In six chapters the authors address one particular question: do we need vision at all? The discussion is based on the perspective that there are two components of vision: the objective, simple component and a more sophisticated component, where there is an interpretation of the environment, incorporation of the surroundings, smell, and attitude into what is seen. The text, along with the illustrations and references help identify that the primary function of vision is defensive and vision helps one locate oneself in the world. This is a very pleasant read and is a worthwhile book.
Assessment: Even though a very specific book for a small audience, this might be an interesting book for general neurological and psychological libraries. It is an affordable and easy read.

Doody's Review Service