CNV: Background readings in vision

This page contains various lists of classic papers in vision, as a guide for those who want to follow up on specific topics. These items are not examinable. The lists contain many duplicates, as they were compiled at different times by different people. The most recently compiled lists are given first. More recent advances are not covered; these focus on the seminal papers in each area instead.

Specific suggested background readings for each lecture, if any, are listed on the Lecture notes page. (Required, i.e., examinable, readings are also listed there.)


10 Most cited vision papers in Scopus, 12/2006

From a CVNet posting by Yury Petrov, 22 December 2006.

Michael Crossland pointed out the Scopus search skips other papers that ISI Web of Science lists as being much more widely cited:


Columbia Systems Neurophysiology and Modeling course syllabus

Taught by Aniruddha Das, Vince Ferrera, Mickey Goldberg, Jackie Gottlieb, Ning Qian, and Daniel Salzman; syllabus posted to CVNet by Vincent Ferrera on 23 Dec 2006.

  1. Retina and LGN
  2. V1 Orientation
  3. Early Vision and Form Processing
  4. V4/IT Complex Form Processing
    • Desimone, R., Albright, T. D., Gross, C. G. and Bruce, C. (1984). Stimulus-selective properties of inferior temporal neurons in the macaque, J. Neurosci. 4: 2051-2062.
    • Desimone, R., Schein, S. J., Moran, J. and Ungerleider, L. G. (1985). Contour, color and shape analysis beyond the striate cortex, Vision Res. 25: 441-452.
    • Desimone, R. and Schein, S. J. (1987). Visual properties of neurons in area V4 of the macaque: sensitivity to stimulus form, J. Neurophysiol. 57: 835-868.
    • Wilson, H. R., Wilkinson, F. and Asaad, W. (1997). Concentric orientation summation in human form vision, Vision Res. 37: 2325-2330.
    • Wilson, H. R. and Wilkinson, F. (1998). Detection of global structure in Glass patterns: implications for form vision, Vision Res. 38: 2933-2947.
  5. Directional Selectivity
  6. MT and Motion Perception
  7. Disparity and Binocular Depth Perception
    • Poggio, G. F. and Fischer, B. (1977). Binocular interaction and depth sensitivity in striate and prestriate cortex of behaving rhesus monkey, J. Neurophysiol. 40: 1392-1405.
    • Ohzawa, I., DeAngelis, G. C. and Freeman, R. D. (1990). Stereoscopic depth discrimination in the visual cortex: Neurons ideally suited as disparity detectors, Science 249: 1037-1041.
    • Marr, D. and Poggio, T. (1976). Cooperative computation of stereo disparity, Science 194: 283-287.
    • Marr, D. and Poggio, T. (1979). A computational theory of human stereo vision, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 204: 301-328.
    • Qian, N. (1994). Computing stereo disparity and motion with known binocular cell properties, Neural Comput. 6: 390-404.
    • Qian, N. and Andersen, R. A. (1997). A physiological model for motion-stereo integration and a unified explanation of Pulfrich-like phenomena, Vision Res. 37: 1683-1698.
    • Qian, N. (1997). Binocular disparity and the perception of depth, Neuron 18: 359-368.
    • Bradley, D. C., Qian, N. and Andersen, R. A. (1995). Integration of motion and stereopsis in cortical area MT of the macaque, Nature 373: 609-611.
    • DeAngelis, G. C., Cumming, B. G. and Newsome, W. T. (1998). Cortical area MT and the perception of stereoscopic depth, Nature 394: 677-680.
  8. Parietal and Frontal Mechanisms of Visual Attention
  9. Saccades
  10. Spatial Accuracy
    • Duhamel, J. R., Colby, C. L. and Goldberg, M. E. (1992). The updating of the representation of visual space in parietal cortex by intended eye-movements, Science 255: 90-92.
    • Quaia, C., Optican, L. M. and Goldberg, M. E. (1998). The maintenance of spatial accuracy by the perisaccadic remapping of visual receptive fields, Neural Networks 11: 1229-1240.
    • Umeno, M. M. and Goldberg, M. E. (1997). Spatial processing in the monkey frontal eye field. 1. Predictive visual responses, J. Neurophysiol. 78: 1373-1383.
  11. MST Optic Flow and Navigation
    • Bradley, D. C., Maxwell, M., Andersen, R. A., Banks, M. S., and Shenoy, K. V. (1996). Mechanisms of heading perception in primate visual cortex, Science 273: 1544-1547.
    • Duffy, C. J. and Wurtz, R. H. (1991). Sensitivity of MST neurons to optic flow stimuli. I. A continuum of response selectivity to large-field stimuli, J. Neurophysiol. 65: 1329-1345.
    • Graziano, M., Andersen, R. A. and Snowden, R. J. (1994). Tuning of MST neurons to spiral motion, J. Neurosci. 14: 54-67.
    • Saito, H., Yukie, M., Tanaka, K., Hikosoka, K., Fukada, Y. and Iwai, E. (1986). Integration of direction signals of image motion in the superior temporal sulcus of the macaque monkey, J. Neurosci. 6: 145-157.
    • Tanaka, K., Hikosaka, K., Saito, H., Yukie, M., Fukada, Y. and Iwai, E. (1986). Analysis of local and wide-field movements in the superior visual areas of the macaque monkey, J. Neurosci. 6: 134-144.
  12. Parallel Pathways
  13. Smooth Pursuit
    • Ferrera, V. P. and Lisberger, S. G. (1997). The effect of a moving distractor on the initiation of smooth-pursuit eye movements, Visual Neurosci. 14: 323-338.
    • Groh, J. M., Born, R. T. and Newsome, W. T. (1997). How is a sensory map read out? Effects of microstimulation in visual area MT on saccades and smooth pursuit eye movements, J. Neurosci. 17: 4312-4330.
    • Komatsu, H. and Wurtz, R. H. (1988). Relation of cortical areas MT and MST to pursuit eye movements. I. localization and visual properties neurons, J. Neurophysiol. 60: 580-603.
    • Komatsu, H. and Wurtz, R. H. (1989). Modulation of pursuit eye movements by stimulation of cortical areas MT and MST, J. Neurophysiol. 62: 31-47.
    • Lisberger, S. G. and Ferrera, V. P. (1997). Vector averaging for smooth pursuit eye movements initiated by two moving targets in monkeys, J. Neurosci. 17: 7490-7502.
    • Newsome, W. T., Wurtz, R. H. and Komatsu, H. (1988). Relation of cortical areas MT and MST to pursuit eye movements. II. Differentiation of retinal from extraretinal inputs, J. Neurophysiol. 60: 604-620.
    • Rashbass, C. (1961). The relationship between saccadic and smooth tracking eye movements, J. Physiol. 159: 326-338.

NYU Classic Vision Science Papers

These suggested readings were compiled by members of the Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology at NYU in June 2004, and include papers up to 1972.


Visual Perception: Essential Readings, Edited by Steven Yantis, Psychology Press, 2000

This book contains reprints of the following classic papers from before 1998:

  1. Theoretical Perspectives
    • Helmholtz, H. von (1925). Physiological Optics. (Vol III, Sect. 26. Concerning the perceptions in general. pp. 1-36). Translated from the Third German Edition and Edited by J. P. C. Southall. New York: Optical Society of America. (Original work published 1896)
    • Barlow, H. B. (1972). Single units and sensation: A neuron doctrine for perceptual psychology? Perception, 1, 371-394.
    • Tanner, W. P., & Swets, J. A. (1954). A decision-making theory of visual detection. Psychological Review, 61, 401-409.
    • Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. Chapter 14: The theory of information pickup and its consequences (pp. 238-263). Boston: Houghton Miflin Co.
    • Marr, D. (1982). Vision. Chapter 1. The philosophy and the approach (pp. 8-38). San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Co.
  2. Early Vision
  3. Perceptual Organization and Constancy
    • Wertheimer, M. (1923). Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt, II [Laws of organization in perceptual forms]. Psycholoche Forschung, 4, 301-350. Exerpts translated and reprinted in W. D. Ellis (Ed.), A source book of Gestalt psychology (pp. 71-88). New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1939.
    • Rubin, E. (1921). Visuaell wahrgenommene Figuren. Copenhagen: Gyldendalske. [excerpts translated and reprinted in D. C. Beardslee & M. Wertheimer (Eds.), Readings in perception (pp. 194-203). Princeton, NJ: D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc.]
    • Wallach, H. (1948). Brightness constancy and the nature of achromatic colors. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38, 310-324.
    • Kaufman, L., & Rock, I. (1962). The moon illusion. Scientific American, 207, 120-132.
    • Rock, I., Nijhawan, R., Palmer, S. E., & Tudor, L. (1992). Grouping based on phenomenal similarity of achromatic color. Perception, 21, 779-789.
  4. Object and Spatial Vision
    • Lissauer, H. (1890). Ein Fall von Seelenblindheit nebst einem Beitrag zur Theorie derselben. Archiv für Psychiatrie, 21, 222-270. [translated and reprinted in 1988 as "A case of visual agnosia with a contribution to theory." Cognitive Neuropsychology, 5, 157-192; commentary by Shallice, T., & Jackson, M. (1988). Lissauer on agnosia. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 5, 153-156.]
    • Mishkin, M., Ungerleider, L. G., & Macko, K. A. (1982). Object vision and spatial vision: Two cortical pathways. Trends in Neurosciences, 6, 414-417.
    • Adelson, E. H., & Movshon, J. A. (1982). Phenomenal coherence of moving visual patterns. Nature, 300, 523-525.
    • Shepard, R. N., & Metzler, J. (1971). Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects. Science,171, 701-703.
    • Biederman, I. (1987). Recognition-by-components: A theory of human image understanding. Psychological Review, 94, 115-147.
  5. Visual Attention and Awareness
    • Treisman, A. M., & Gelade, G. (1980). A feature-integration theory of attention. Cognitive Psychology, 12, 97-136.
    • Moran, J., & Desimone, R. (1985). Selective attention gates visual processing in the extrastriate cortex. Science, 229, 782-784.
    • O'Craven, K. M., Rosen, B. R., Kwong, K. K., Treisman, A., & Savoy, R. L. (1997). Voluntary attention modulates fMRI activity in human MT-MST. Neuron, 18, 591-598.
    • Weiskrantz, L., Warrington, E. K., Sanders, M.D., & Marshall, J. (1974). Visual capacity in the hemianopic field following a restricted occipital ablation. Brain, 97, 709-728.
    • Sheinberg, D.L. & Logothetis, N.K. (1997). The role of temporal cortical areas in perceptual organization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 94, 3408-3413.

Visual Perception: other readings

These suggested readings were compiled from suggestions given to Steven Yantis while he was preparing his 2000 book (above), covering up to about 1992. I have deleted all those that were actually included in the book, since those are listed above.


W. Makous' list of classics

These readings were compiled about 1980, and include papers up to 1979.


Other related lists

Compiled by Steven Yantis, as of 1/2007.

Jack Yellot also has a nice collection of important events and dates in vision research history 1600-1960, plus a discussion of earlier dates.

The Millenium Project at UMN has compiled a list of the One Hundred Most Influential Works in Cognitive Science from the 20th Century.

Last updated: 2014/08/20 13:29:10 James A. Bednar


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