Book excerpt: The more than twenty contributions in this book, all new and previously unpublished, provide an up-to-date survey of contemporary research on computational modeling of the visual system. The approaches represented range from neurophysiology to psychophysics, and from retinal function to the analysis of visual cues to motion, color, texture, and depth. The contributions are linked thematically by a consistent consideration of the links between empirical data and computational models in the study of visual function. An introductory chapter by Edward Adelson and James Bergen gives a new and elegant formalization of the elements of early vision. Subsequent sections treat receptors and sampling, models of neural function, detection and discrimination, color and shading, motion and texture, and 3D shape. Each section is introduced by a brief topical review and summary. ContributorsEdward H. Adelson, Albert J. Ahumada, Jr., James R. Bergen, David G. Birch, David H. Brainard, Heinrich H. Bülthoff, Charles Chubb, Nancy J. Coletta, Michael D'Zmura, John P. Frisby, Norma Graham, Norberto M. Grzywacz, P. William Haake, Michael J. Hawken, David J. Heeger, Donald C. Hood, Elizabeth B. Johnston, Daniel Kersten, Michael S. Landy, Peter Lennie, J. Stephen Mansfield, J. Anthony Movshon, Jacob Nachmias, Andrew J. Parker, Denis G. Pelli, Stephen B. Pollard, R. Clay Reid, Robert Shapley, Carlo L. M. Tiana, Brian A. Wandell, Andrew B. Watson, David R. Williams, Hugh R. Wilson, Yuede. Yang, Alan L. Yuille