  Robotic research is often built on approaches that are motivated by insights
from self-examination of how we interface with the world. However, given
current theories about human cognition and sensory processing, it is reasonable
to assume that the internal workings of the brain are separate from how we
interface with the world and ourselves. To amend some of these misconceptions
arising from self-examination this article reviews human visual understanding
for cognition and action, specifically manipulation. Our focus is on
identifying overarching principles such as the separation into visual
processing for action and cognition, hierarchical processing of visual input,
and the contextual and anticipatory nature of visual processing for action. We
also provide a rudimentary exposition of previous theories about visual
understanding that shows how self-examination can lead down the wrong path. Our
hope is that the article will provide insights for the robotic researcher that
can help them navigate the path of self-examination, give them an overview of
current theories about human visual processing, as well as provide a source for
further relevant reading.
