Time course of grouping of shape by perceptual closure: effects of spatial proximity and collinearity.

Full Abstract

We examined time course of grouping of shape by perceptual closure in three experiments using a primed matching task. The gaps between the closure-inducing contours varied in size. In addition, depending on the distribution of the gaps along the closure-inducing contours--occurring at straight contour segments or at the point of change in contour direction--collinearity was either present or absent. In the absence of collinearity, early priming of the shape was observed for spatially close fragments, but not for spatially distant fragments. When collinearity was available, the shape of both spatially close and spatially distant fragments was primed at brief exposures. These results suggest that spatial proximity is critical for the rapid grouping of shape by perceptual closure in the absence of collinearity, but collinearity facilitates the rapid grouping of shape when the closure-inducing fragments are spatially distant. In addition, shape priming persisted over time only when the collinear fragments were spatially close, suggesting that a stable representation of shape depends both on collinearity and spatial proximity between the closure-inducing fragments.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Hadad, Bat-Sheva (BS); Kimchi, Ruth (R);

Affiliation: University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Perception & psychophysics (Percept Psychophys), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jul; vol 70 (issue 5) : pp 818-27

Dates: Created 2008/07/10; Completed 2008/08/12;

PMID: 18613630, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

Developmental trends in utilizing perceptual closure for grouping of shape: effects of spatial proximity and collinearity. 30 Oct 2006
Collinearity, curvature interpolation, and the power of perceptual integration. 6 Oct 2005
The fronto-parietal network and top-down modulation of perceptual grouping. 30 Jul 2007
Texture segmentation in Williams syndrome. 10 Oct 2006
Formation of visual "objects" in the early computation of spatial relations. 29 Jun 2007
Attentional modulation of perceptual grouping in human visual cortex: functional MRI studies. 30 Jul 2005
The time course of perceptual grouping: the role of segregation and shape formation. 29 Jun 2007
Dynamics of shape interaction in human vision. 17 Oct 2006
Perceptual organization at attended and unattended locations. 30 Mar 2005
Perceptual organization by proximity and similarity in schizophrenia. 25 Jul 2007

See 100+ related articles.