Abstract
The Gestalt configural cues of convexity and symmetry affect the likelihood that a region will be seen as a figure as opposed to a background. In previous research, we found that the effectiveness of the configural cue of convexity increased as the number of convex regions in a display increased from 1.5 – 2.5 – 3.5 regions (Kim and Peterson, 2001). We observed these “context effects” even when perceived figure assignment was measured indirectly, when symmetry competed with convexity, and when observers were required to base their figure response on the regions closest to fixation regardless of the number of regions in the display (Peterson & Kim, 2001). We suggested that context effects might reflect long-range connections between units assessing region-wide convexity because the effectiveness of the convexity cue did not increase with the number of local convexities within a region. We now extend these investigations by examining whether or not the configural cue of symmetry is affected similarly by context. We also examine the extent to which context effects require that the cued regions be similar in color. In addition, we use a priming paradigm to investigate whether or not the context effects operate over a temporal gap.
Support: NSF BCS 9906063 to MAP