Media Type: Textbook (paperback)

Synopsis: This fascinating book clearly describes current understanding of human visual perception as we perform various actions, hence “ Looking and Acting. ” Because of advances in neuroscience, notably including data from head-mounted eye tracking recorders, much has been learned about the ways that our eyes sample our surroundings, how the brain makes contextual sense of visual information, and how vision guides our actions. Drs. Land and Tatler, noted vision scientists, present a lucid, detailed, and enjoyable review of this research. The findings are not intuitive, and many surprises are presented in this well-referenced text.

Target Audience: Vision scientists, ophthalmologists, ophthalmology residents, and persons curious about human visual functioning.

Review: This book superbly explains how the human visual system functions while performing various actions. While working within the world, not only do our eyes move, but the head and torso move as well. Various objects compete for attention. The visual system both perceives and directs action. Vision research has revealed a fascinating picture of how our visual system perceives objects and directs actions, but presenting this knowledge requires great writing skill. The challenge of this book is to clearly present results of experiments involving complex neuroanatomy and function. Drs. Land and Tatler more than meet the challenge. They are well-qualified to present this material; they have published extensively in the field of visual function; their research using head-mounted eye movement recording cameras has been instrumental in revealing how we use our eyes as we interact with the real world. Dr. Land has also won several prestigious awards for his research.

Beyond summarizing the research, the authors distill and meld the information. The book consists of 12 chapters organized into three parts. Each chapter ends with a concise summary of the main points. Part I is an excellent introduction to eye movement control and gaze strategies. Part II covers visual and motor function in a variety of specific tasks, sedentary, active, and social. Part III discusses cognitive and neural control of gaze and visual behavior.

The writing does not shy away from detail, yet remains lively. The result is a very enjoyable read. Within the book, a recurring example of making tea helps explain the complexities involved even with seemingly simple activities. The descriptions of visual and motor requirements of more challenging activities such as hitting a baseball (and cricket ball) are fascinating and very clearly presented. To the vision scientist, this text serves as an up-to-date reference. Although the book does not address pathology, the insights presented will be illuminating for clinicians caring for neuro-ophthalmology patients.

In summary, this book serves as a clearly written resource that explains how our visual system allows us to function effectively in a complex world of motion and change.