Book excerpt: This comprehensive introduction to the senses explains how physical stimuli are transformed into signals in the nervous system and how the brain uses those signals to understand the world. Whereas most texts in the field begin by covering vision, this trailblazing work offers students a solidgrounding in the principles of perceptual measurement and the biological mechanisms that make perception possible before introducing the somatosensory and then the olfactory system. This innovative presentation ensures that students have a firm grasp of the basics before they approach thecomplexities of hearing and vision, making Fundamentals of Sensory Perception an indispensable introduction to sensation and perception.