The neurophysiological evidence for dissociable SF processing routes has triggered considerable research into the roles of high and low SF components in visual recognition. Traditionally, it has been argued that there is a fixed order of coarse-to-fine integration, where low SFs (due to their faster arrival at the cortex) generate an initial coarse representation of an image that is used to guide the processing of the more detailed information, conveyed by high SF components (Bar,
2003; Blackmore & Campbell,
1969; Bullier, Hupe, James, & Girard,
2001; Lamme,
2001; Marr,
1982; McCarthy, Puce, Belger, & Allison,
1999; Oliva & Schyns,
1997; Parker & Costen,
1999; Schyns & Oliva,
1994). However, there is also increasing experimental evidence suggesting that the integration and usage of different ranges of SFs is flexible (Collin,
2006; Goffaux, Jemel, Jacques, Rossion, & Schyns,
2003; Morrison & Schyns,
2001; Oliva & Schyns,
1997; Peyrin et al.,
2005; Ruiz-Soler & Beltran,
2006; Schyns & Oliva,
1994,
1997,
1999). In an elegant set of studies involving hybrid stimuli, in which contrasting information was conveyed by low and high SF channels, Oliva and Schyns (
1997; Schyns & Oliva,
1994,
1999) demonstrate that information from low or high SFs can be equally influential in scene and face categorization. Additional findings suggest that the usage of information from different SF channels can be altered by previous experience. Previous experience was manipulated by altering the perceptual set (i.e. the tendency to use one SF over another; Schyns & Oliva,
1999) and by sensitization procedure to different SFs (i.e. pre-exposure to limited SF band; Oliva & Schyns,
1997; Ozgen, Payne, Sowden, & Schyns,
2006; Schyns & Oliva,
1999). Computational modeling also shows that algorithms that use SF components in a flexible manner can outperform fixed coarse-to-fine algorithms in recognizing objects (Mermillod, Guyader, & Chauvin,
2005).