@article{10.1167/3.4.4, author = {Fantoni, Carlo and Gerbino, Walter}, title = "{Contour interpolation by vector-field combination}", journal = {Journal of Vision}, volume = {3}, number = {4}, pages = {4-4}, year = {2003}, month = {05}, abstract = "{We model the visual interpolation of missing contours by extending contour fragments under a smoothness constraint. Interpolated trajectories result from an algorithm that computes the vector sum of two fields corresponding to different unification factors: the good continuation (GC) field and the minimal path (MP) field. As the distance from terminators increases, the GC field decreases and the MP field increases. Viewer-independent and viewer-dependent variables modulate GC-MP contrast (i.e., the relative strength of GC and MP maximum vector magnitudes). Viewer-independent variables include the local geometry as well as more global properties such as contour support ratio and shape regularity. Viewer-dependent variables include the retinal gap between contour endpoints and the retinal orientation of their stems. GC-MP contrast is the only free parameter of our field model. In the case of partially occluded angles, interpolated trajectories become flatter as GC-MP contrast decreases. Once GC-MP contrast is set to a specific value, derived from empirical measures on a given configuration, the model predicts all interpolation trajectories corresponding to different types of occlusion of the same angle. Model predictions fit psychophysical data on the effects of viewer-independent and viewer-dependent variables.}", issn = {1534-7362}, doi = {10.1167/3.4.4}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1167/3.4.4}, eprint = {http://jov.arvojournals.org/arvo/content\_public/journal/jov/932824/jov-3-4-4.pdf}, }