Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Representational content and computation in the human visual system

  • Published:
Psychological Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Information-processing systems can be characterized by their ability to transform systematically certain internal representational states (symbols) into one another. The presence of such an information-processing capacity calls for an explanation. How could such an explanation in principle be formulated? How is it possible to specify internal representational states and to ascribe to them certain representational contents? What has to be demonstrated by such explanations is how an information-processing capacity is actually instantiated in a system. In this paper, the outlines of an explanation by instantiation are sketched for a specific human visual capacity. In addition, some fundamental problems facing the development of this explanation will be discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cummins, R. (1983).The nature of psychological explanation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. (1989).Meaning and mental representation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dretske, F. I. (1981).Knowledge and the flow of information. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eimer, M. (1990).Informationsverarbeitung und mentale Repräsentation. Die Analyse menschlicher kognitiver Kapazitäten am Beispiel der visuellen Wahrnehmung. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haugeland, J. (1978). The nature and plausibility of cognitivism.Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2, 215–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mart, D. (1982).Vision. New York: Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pylyshyn, Z. W. (1984).Computation and Cognition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Munich, Leopoldstrasse 13, D-8000, München 40, Germany

    Martin Eimer

Authors
  1. Martin Eimer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Eimer, M. Representational content and computation in the human visual system. Psychol. Res 52, 238–242 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00877532

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00877532

Keywords

Search

Navigation