Question

In the periphery of our vision, we are

A. sensitive to movement, but cannot see color.
B. insensitive to color and movement.
C. sensitive to both movement and color.
D. more sensitive to low frequencies than high ones.

Answer 1

In the periphery of our vision, we are sensitive to movement due to the presence of rods, which detect movement but not color. Cones are concentrated in the fovea and responsible for color vision but are less active in low light. Hence, peripheral vision is primarily sensitive to movement but not color.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the periphery of our vision, we are sensitive to movement, but cannot see color. This is due to the distribution of photoreceptors in our retina. Cones, which are responsible for color vision, are densely packed in the fovea, the central part of the retina.

Rods, which are responsible for movement detection and low-light vision, are more abundant in the peripheral areas of the retina. Therefore, we are sensitive to movement in our peripheral vision because of the higher concentration of rods, which, however, do not provide color information.

The two types of photoreceptors that are critical in this process are cones and rods. Cones provide us with high resolution, color vision in well-lit environments, while rods allow us to see in low-light conditions but only in grayscale. As light intensity decreases, cones become less effective, and rods take over, which is why we might struggle to distinguish colors in poorly lit areas.