Terms related to Visual Perception Optical acuity (the ability to see something with maximum possible clarity and accuracy of color.) Photoreceptors (networked nerve cells that send impulses along the optic nerve to the brain.) Peripheral vision (the vision of something other than when you directly focus on it but, rather, see in the outer part of the field of vision.) Varying light levels (which contribute to the ability to see clearly and accurately in daylight conditions.) Long- and short-wavelength spectral colors (colors form a spectrum with red at the long wavelength end and blue and mauve at the short wavelength end.) The perceptual chain (how you focus on, detect, and identify something over time.) The mobility of vision (the constant and restless movements of the eyes.) Coercive fixation choices (particular kinds of visual stimuli towards which the eyes will tend to turn in an effectively automatic way.) The scanpath (which charts the rapid movements of the eye as it jumps from one fixation point to another.) To learn more about visual peception, visit Peter K. Kaiser's The Joy of Visual Perception: A Web Book, presented by York University. ©1998 The Museum of Modern Art, New York