Abstract
To maintain stable object representations over time despite discontinuities in the visual input, the visual system must determine how newly sampled information relates to existing object representations. Despite the long tradition of research investigating this “correspondence problem” it is still unclear what factors influence its resolution. We examined the relative role of spatio-temporal and feature information (e.g., color, size, orientation and contrast polarity) in resolving object correspondence in ambiguous apparent motion displays (Ternus displays). We found that feature information plays an important role in resolving object correspondence and can even overwhelm spatio-temporal information under some conditions. Moreover, it is not just featural identity that can determine object correspondence, but featural similarity can as well. Finally, we found that correspondence was determined by the perceived values (i.e., perceived size and lightness) of stimuli rather than by the physical values (i.e., size and luminance). This suggests that object correspondence is established at higher levels of visual processing than has been previously thought. In summary, we argue that the visual system is remarkably flexible with regard to what information it uses to organize retinal information into functionally meaningful units and to update these representations over time.
Supported by NSF grant BCS-0818536 to CMM.