Final answer:
The physiological difference between looking at small things versus far away things involves the process of accommodation in the eyes, the separation of centers in the two eyes, and the brain's interpretation of visual information.
Step-by-step explanation:
When we look at small things versus far away things, there are several physiological differences that occur in our eyes. One important difference is the process of accommodation, where the eyes adjust their focal length and power. For close vision, the eye is fully accommodated, meaning it has its greatest power. However, for distant vision, the eye is totally relaxed, with its smallest power.
Another difference is the separation of the centers of the two eyes, which causes visual stimuli to fall on different spots on the retinae. When an object is fixated directly in front of us, closer objects fall on the lateral retina of each eye, while more distant objects fall on the medial retina. This disparity in image placement on the retina leads to differences in visual perception.
Additionally, the brain plays a crucial role in interpreting visual information and determining the distance of objects. It automatically compares the relative shift of objects when we look at them with each eye and adjusts our perception accordingly. This allows us to have a sense of how far away things are in our immediate neighborhood.