Top-down influences on perceptual grouping.

Full Abstract

Observers are faster to find and discriminate a target pair of adjacent, same-shaped objects that are within the same perceptual group (within group) versus within adjacent perceptual groups. Manipulating the probability of a within-group pair modulated this grouping effect such that it increased as the percentage of within-group trials (25%, 50%, or 75%) increased. This probability effect was stronger for extrinsic grouping factors (common region and connectedness) than for intrinsic factors (proximity and color similarity). Further experiments, however, suggested that this extrinsic-intrinsic difference was due to differences in overall speed with which the target pair was found. The results are interpreted as indicating that grouping is sensitive to top-down influences as long as there is sufficient time for feedback to operate.

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Author information

Author/s: Beck, Diane M (DM); Palmer, Stephen E (SE);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, USA. dbeck(-atsign-)princeton.edu

Grants: 1-R01-MH4614 (Agency:United States NIMH)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance (J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Oct; vol 28 (issue 5) : pp 1071-84

Dates: Created 2002/11/07; Completed 2003/02/26; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12421056, 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.

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