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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Visual Perception and the Brain by Duke University

4.7
stars
260 ratings

About the Course

Learners will be introduced to the problems that vision faces, using perception as a guide. The course will consider how what we see is generated by the visual system, what the central problem for vision is, and what visual perception indicates about how the brain works. The evidence will be drawn from neuroscience, psychology, the history of vision science and what philosophy has contributed. Although the discussions will be informed by visual system anatomy and physiology, the focus is on perception. We see the physical world in a strange way, and goal is to understand why....

Top reviews

DB

Jun 11, 2020

This is a great course dealt meticulously. The carefully crafted audiovisual study material and quizzes together with very inspiring video lectures helped understand and learn with great enthusiasm.

PC

Feb 28, 2020

I am currently undertaking a PhD in visual inspection techniques for aircraft maintenance tasks and i found this course excellent. Dale is a wealth of knowledge and delivered an excellent course.

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1 - 25 of 67 Reviews for Visual Perception and the Brain

By Patrick C

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Feb 29, 2020

I am currently undertaking a PhD in visual inspection techniques for aircraft maintenance tasks and i found this course excellent. Dale is a wealth of knowledge and delivered an excellent course.

By Cehao Y

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Sep 8, 2020

It is such a nice course. The lecturer is so inspiring and 'provocative'. The perception theory was explained in a very novel way.

By Marie H

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May 8, 2021

This is one of the best, if not the very best courses I have ever done. Truly amazing. I will never again just look!!! Thank you prof Purves. More than ever I've realized that we should be so very careful with "eye witness" accounts! When I took my dogs for a walk, I often wonder what it is that I "really" see!!! Wonderful. One course that I just had to finish! Wonderful.

By Stevanus L

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Jul 31, 2019

It's really useful to learn this as someone who is starting to learn 3D Animation as it really evokes my thinking as see everyday visual things into more detail and not be fooled by our visual systems.

By Julia Z

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Jul 2, 2017

Ótimo curso! O professor é excelente, explica muito bem, tornando todas as aulas muito interessantes.

By Xue K

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May 28, 2018

A very insightful course. Super straightforward. A perfect choice as an introductory course.

By Bart S

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Sep 22, 2016

great course: do it again!

By Diego A G G

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May 12, 2020

Excellent!!

By Thiago G d S M

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Oct 6, 2017

very good

By Paul C

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Jan 9, 2022

I decided to take this course after completing the Brain and Space Course by Dr. Jennifer M. Groh, Ph.D.Opens in a new tab

The course is well taught and has a good list of support resources. I come from an AI, Deep Learning background, so this course has helped me learn more about the brain, and perception. It is helping me reshape my understanding of the meaning of AI.

By Simonov O

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May 11, 2017

This course gave me another view at the problem of visual perception. The course relates more to psychology than to medicine. Essay writing is mandatory for the completion of the course. Thanks to Professor Purves and his team from the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences.

By Marco M

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Jun 20, 2019

The course started amazingly, with really interesting discussions, but ended being an introduction to weird perceptual phenomena explained through empirical experience. Important if you want to get a certificate: the final essay is almost impossible to get evaluated!! Too few people

By Velmurugan C

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Aug 3, 2023

As a filmmaker deeply invested in the art of storytelling through visual media, I cannot recommend this course enough! Visual Perception and the Brain provided me with invaluable insights into the intricacies of how the human brain interprets visual information. Understanding these fundamental principles has elevated my craft, allowing me to create more immersive and emotionally impactful films.

The course delved into various topics, including depth perception, attentional mechanisms, and colour psychology. Learning how the brain processes depth cues has enabled me to design breathtaking scenes that transport the audience into the heart of the narrative. By leveraging attentional factors, I can guide the viewers' gaze precisely where I want, heightening the storytelling experience. The knowledge gained from this course has been pivotal in my foray into virtual reality and augmented reality. As a VR developer, I now comprehend how to design virtual environments that feel natural and comfortable, sparing users from visual discomfort or motion sickness. The course's insights into motion perception have enhanced the realism of my VR projects, making the experience truly immersive.

For gamers and AI enthusiasts, this course offers a wealth of benefits too. Game developers can harness the power of visual cues to create visually captivating and enjoyable gaming experiences. AI algorithms can benefit from understanding human visual processing, leading to more accurate computer vision systems and generating realistic visual content.

I must express my utmost gratitude to Dr Dale Purves, the brilliant instructor of Visual Perception and the Brain. Dr Purves's passion for the subject and his expertise were evident throughout the course, making the learning experience truly exceptional. His engaging teaching style and ability to simplify complex concepts allowed me to grasp the intricacies of visual perception effortlessly.

Learning about the various experiments and studies conducted to understand visual perception and the brain added a practical and tangible dimension to the subject. The course delved into the importance of empirical research in validating theories and hypotheses, and it provided valuable insights into the methodologies used to gather data and draw conclusions. Understanding how researchers use empirical evidence to unravel the mysteries of human vision was both fascinating and enlightening. These empirical points not only enriched my knowledge but also inspired me to explore further the realm of visual perception and its real-world applications in fields like filmmaking, virtual reality, gaming, and artificial intelligence. This course is an absolute game-changer. Embrace it, and you'll gain a new perspective on how visual perception shapes the world of creativity and technology.

By Anna J

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Feb 18, 2017

The course introduces new information gradually, within a known context, as well as exploring the use of images (of the brain, for example). These procedures facilitate learning. I was not able to keep up with the course at the pace of the class (on the dates stipulated) because I am learning English in parallel. But that is a deficiency of mine and I did not give course. Congratulations to the Coursera, Duke University, the organizers of the Visual Perception and the Brain course, and especially to Professor PhD Dale Purves, for excellent content quality, approach, theme, and the opportunity to democratize knowledge to anyone in the world. Thank you!!

By Karthik S K

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Sep 19, 2016

Amazing course by Dr. Dale Purvez! This is my second course from Duke University and i absolutely loved it all! This course was very unique in itself ! i.e It involved much more than just assignments. The final test which involved writing an essay which had to be peer reviewed was a good experience. Also reviewing the work done by fellow students have to be noted for it would be an amazing experience for anyone taking this course! I am very much looking for ward for such courses in future. Thank You Dr.Purves, Coursera and Duke University for this course!

By Clare H

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Jan 12, 2018

Starts you off in the weeds of the anatomy and physiology of vision, but quickly gets to the heart of the philosophical problem of connecting subjective visual perception to objective external physical properties of the world. I found the problem very well defined, the argument organized and compelling, and the material engaging. I appreciated the relative rigor of the quizzes and the fact that the material was presented in a way I thought was accessible and interesting to both beginners and mid-level students alike. It gave me a new perspective.

By Ahmet Ç

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Jul 7, 2023

This was an insightful as well as an enjoyable course thanks to the instructor, Dr. Purves. He managed to explain complicated concepts in a simple yet stimulating manner. I think this course is best taken after an introductory biopsychology course, as some concepts of perception are expected of you in order to understand some of the lectures. Overall, an enjoyable course on visual perception.

By Mustafa S Y

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Apr 15, 2017

The course is excellently done with well-ordered sequence of lectures that explains visual perception in a new and very interesting way. The instructor speaks in an easily understood English, and his presentation of the material is very well done. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in psychology, vision, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.

By Angel A A M

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Sep 4, 2016

It is a genial..debo course congratulate Dr. Dale Purves, I'm from Ecuador and have followed their texts and articles for 7 years, I have trained as a doctor and I have been fascinated by the nervous system through its bastos knowledge and way of express theories from a simple way to complex ..

Thank you for making these courses ..

By Dan L V

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Aug 14, 2016

is a excellent course, I´m a neurosurgeon and I think Dr. Dale Purves, as my teacher. this is amazing topic, and full the basic them of neuroscience, is an accuracy understand of world. the most enigmatic facts explained by amazing master of battlefield of neuroscience.

By Tausif A S

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Jun 26, 2020

Simply Excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the insight into vision and the systems behind it. I have gained an enormous amount of interest in vison and visual perception as a result of this course. My sincerest gratitude to Prof. Dale Purves for this course.

By Greg L

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Aug 4, 2020

I acquired an understanding of the complex operation of the eye and how perception is affected by the loss of information in the image received. It is not related to anything I do in real life, but nevertheless I value the acquisition of knowledge.

By Salman M

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Nov 11, 2017

An absolute pleasure of a course. Most of the stuff is well-explained, even for people outside of Neuroscience. As a person working in Machine Learning, this course also broadened my views about how vision and the brain works.

By Alexander S

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Aug 8, 2016

whished there would have been MORE material. nice Course, even tough the Speaker speaks a bit slow and some explanations would have been much quicker to understand by Videos instead of verbal/textual explanations..

By Dr. U S B

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Jun 12, 2020

This is a great course dealt meticulously. The carefully crafted audiovisual study material and quizzes together with very inspiring video lectures helped understand and learn with great enthusiasm.