Synonyms
Visual component processes; Visual processing stages
Definition
Visual modularity is a conceptualization of visual function that maintains that the various properties that comprise visual perception (form, color, texture, motion, etc.) are the by-product of separate processes that occur in distinct cortical or subcortical regions of the brain (Calabretta and Parisi 2005). These processes operate to a greater or lesser extent independent of each other but are integrated to yield a uniform percept under normal conditions. These separate visual processes are thought of as modules, each operating with different computational characteristics that enable them to analyze and reconstruct visual input.
Historical Background
Visual modularity is an extension of a broader theoretical framework upon which philosophers, psychologists, cognitive scientists, and neuroscientists have approached the study of “mind” over the past century. In general systems theory, modularity is defined by the...
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Cohen, R.A. (2018). Visual Modularity. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1416
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