Course Spotlight: Neuroscience for Perception and Action

Did you catch the social media buzz over the color of “the dress”? You might be surprised to know that although a plausible explanation has been put forward to explain our differences in perception, there is not yet a conclusive answer from neuroscience. Professor White elaborates:

“It is both entertaining and mystifying. I think the most honest explanation is that no one truly knows…we simply don’t have the evidence in hand. This shows we still know so very little about color vision.”

Not that people need more convincing how amazing the brain is, as advances in neuroscience are providing insights across a wide range of fields, including psychology, economics, and even philosophy. “In our field,” Prof. White says, “we take advantage of the fact that the brain is one of the most fascinating topics that we can possibly teach on”.

Prof. White’s course is part of a new Coursera Specialization, Perception, Action, and the Brain, which consists of his course, The Brain and Space led by Dr. Jennifer Groh, and Visual Perception and the Brain led by Dr. Dale Purves. There is also a final project, which can be a research proposal, popular press article, or a demonstration, thus appealing to students, educators, or professionals. An online course like this has the potential for providing a unique learning experience, as Prof. White describes in the video clip below:

Read the full version of this article on Class Central’s blog.