Chapter 5: Perceiving Objects and Scenes

1. Robotic Vehicle Navigation: DARPA Urban Challenge

2. Apparent Movement
3. Linear and Curved Illusory Contours
4. Enhancing Illusory Contours
5. Context and Perception: The Hering Illusion
6. Context and Perception: The Poggendorf Illusion
7. Ambiguous Reversible Cube
8. Perceptual Organization: The Dalmatian Dog
9. Law of Simplicity or Good Figure
10. Law of Similarity
11. Law of Good Continuation
12. Law of Closure
13. Law of Proximity
14. Law of Common Fate
15. Real-World FigureGround Ambiguity
16. FigureGround Ambiguity
17. Perceiving Rapidly Flashed Stimuli
18. Rotating Mask 1
19. Rotating Mask 2
20. Rotating Mask 3
21. Global Precedence

Chapter 5: Perceiving Objects and Scenes

1. Robotic Vehicle Navigation: DARPA Urban Challenge
Scene perception and object recognition seem to come so easily to humans that we often
take for granted what an amazing feat this is for the human visual system. It has been
difficult for scientists to create a machine with the object perception capabilities of
humans. Some research scientists have taken on the great task of creating automobiles
with object recognition capabilities that allow them to be autonomous vehicles that can
navigate and drive entirely on their own without a human driver or remote control. The
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Urban Challenge is an
autonomous vehicle research and development program with the goal of developing
technology that will keep warfighters off the battlefield and out of harms way.
This film shows the robotic car Boss, which was developed by General Motors and
Carnegie-Mellon University, as it navigates the course during a qualifying event held between
October 27 and 30, 2007 that preceded the actual race, which was held on November 3.
Eleven vehicles qualified for the finals. Boss finished first, followed by cars from Stanford,
Virginia Tech, M.I.T., University of Pennsylvania/Lehigh, and Cornell. It is important to
realize as you watch this film that there is no driver and no one is controlling the car remotely.
All driving decisions are made by Boss onboard computers, aided by visual information
from its many sensors.
Film courtesy of Tartan Racing, Carnegie-Mellon University.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. How does Boss respond to street signs? To other traffic?

2. Do you think the vehicles navigation would be different if a human driver were
behind the wheel? What advantage would the human have over the robotic navigation
system? What advantage might a robotic system have over a human driver?

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2. Apparent Movement (Phi Phenomena, Space and Time)
In this demonstration of apparent movement, two spheres are flashed in two different
locations, one after the other. Vary the separation and interframe interval with the sliders
below the display.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Adjust the separation to match the values in the left column below, and then adjust the
interframe interval until you see (a) smooth movement between the dots (enter data in
center column), and (b) no movement between the dots (enter data in far right
column).
Separation Interframe Interval Interframe interval
(smooth movement) (no movement)
600
500
400
300
200
100

2. What can you conclude about the influence of separation and interframe interval on
the perception of apparent movement?

3. How could you compare your perception of movement when there is a large
separation and small separation between the spheres? (Set interframe interval so you
perceive movement for both small and large separations. Then, describe whether the
movement is the same or different in the two cases.)

4. What do you think a Gestalt psychologist would have to say about this effect?

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3. Linear and Curved Illusory Contours
This exercise provides examples of illusory contours and demonstrates how the
characteristics of the display influence the contours. Examples of both straight and
curved illusory contours are presented. Note how the contours change as objects are
modified.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Describe the illusory contours in the basic figure, without apparent occlusion, and
without the spheres. Did the brightness of the illusory figure differ from the rest of
the field, and was it constant across the different conditions?

2. What happens physically when you click on remove outline?

3. What happens perceptually? (Click reset to view again, if necessary.)

4. How does the result in #3 relate to (a) the structuralists idea that perception is caused
by sensations, and (b) the Gestalt psychologists ideas about perception?

5. What happens to your perception when you delete the sphere? Based on this
observation, what is the crucial stimulus characteristic for creating illusory contours?

6. Describe what you saw when you moved the slider in the curved contour figure.
Based on this observation, what is the crucial stimulus characteristic for creating
curved illusory contours?

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4. Enhancing Illusory Contours
The strength of illusory contours is dependent on the specific characteristics of the
stimulus display. Adding appropriate information can significantly enhance the
appearance of the illusory contours or change the perceived characteristics of the illusory
surface. In this demonstration, add each extra component separately, and note the impact
on the illusory contours. Pay attention to the strength of the illusory contours and the
appearance of the illusory surface. Try to determine the principles behind the
enhancement effect.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. What was the effect of adding new elements to the display?

2. What variation in the display caused the illusory surface to appear transparent, rather
than solid?

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5. Context and Perception: The Hering Illusion
The Hering illusion involves a distortion of lines when the lines appear in the context of a
radiating pattern. The lines appear to be bent even though they are perfectly straight.
After reading the description click on Done to see the illusion.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Describe how the lines appeared in the Hering figure and what happens when the
background is eliminated.

2. How would the Gestalt psychologists use this result to support their ideas about
perception?

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6. Context and Perception: The Poggendorf Illusion
The Poggendorf illusion involves the apparent misalignment of two short diagonal lines
when two parallel lines are placed between them. This exercise presents the classic
Poggendorf Illusion as well as a variation in which the width occluding rectangles can be
varied or made partially transparent. Note whether you perceive the basic illusion on the
left. Place your mouse over the left image to prove to yourself that the diagonal lines are
not misaligned. Vary the width of the lines from thin to thick while they are opaque.
Then click on the transparent icon and do the same.
Demonstration courtesy of Michael Bach.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Describe how the lines appeared in the classic Poggendorf Illusion on the left.

2. Describe how the size of the illusion changed as you varied the width of the yellow
stripes. What happened to your perception of the illusion when you clicked on
transparent ?

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7. Ambiguous Reversible Cube
The moving cube presented in this demonstration is not a typical cube, but is missing a
corner (gray faces). The cube is ambiguous because the viewer can experience a number
of perceptions. The following two are easiest to perceive:
a)

A small grey cube cut out of one corner of the large colored cube.

b)

A small grey cube jutting out from the corner of the large colored cube.

Click on the arrow under the display to activate the movie. You can stop the movie at
any point and move the slider below the movie yourself. (Note that you cannot control
the two white sliders in side the picture.)
Demonstration courtesy of Michael Bach.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Describe what happens when your perception flips from a to b (see above). How
does the grey cube move when you perceive it as jutting out from the colored cube?

2. Could you perceive a third perception? If so, describe it.

3. What happens to movement of the large cube beginning about one minute into the
movie? How does that affect your perception?

4. How does your perception of this display support the idea that the stimulus on the
retina is ambiguous?

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8. Perceptual Organization: The Dalmation Dog
The Gestalt laws of perceptual organization describe how the visual system utilizes
certain cues for perceptual organization. This demonstration shows how our visual
system can also use motion information as a cue to group the many elements of an image
to create the perception of larger objects.
First, view the image containing black patches on a white background and decide if you
recognize any object(s). Stop here and do this now before reading further. If you do not
recognize an object, try viewing it again after reading this hint: dog. Next, click on the
help me 1 button. Last, click on the help me 1 off and then the help me 2 button.
Demonstration courtesy of Michael Bach.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Describe your initial perception of the display. Did you perceive an object initially?
If so, did you have experience with this image before? If not, did the hint word dog
significantly help you?

2. Explain what you perceived after clicking on help me 1. After clicking on help me
1 off, was your perception the same as it was before you clicked?

3. Describe what you saw when clicking on help me 2. What did clicking on this
button demonstrate to you with regards to the power of motion as a cue for perceptual
organization?

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9. Law of Simplicity or Good Figure
A central idea in the Gestalt approach to perceptual organization is that we tend to
organize our perceptual world so that figures are simple or good. This demonstration
illustrates one case in which your interpretation in terms of a good figure does not match
what is actually present.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. What did you perceive in the original display? What was revealed when the
components of the display were separated?

2. Why is this display unlikely to occur in the environment?

3. We certainly can construct stimulus displays in which the Gestalt laws will result in
incorrect perceptions. If these laws are fallible, why is our perception in the real
world as accurate as it tends to be? (Hint: See #2 above). When are we most likely to
be led astray by the Gestalt laws? Give an example, if possible.

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10. Law of Similarity
One of the Gestalt laws of perceptual organization is the law of similaritysimilar
patterns tend to be grouped together or perceived to be part of the same, larger object. In
this exercise you will see how the organization of a stimulus array is affected by the
similarity of the arrays individual components. Note the organization of the array prior
to adding a similarity component, and then see how the organization changes as you
introduce two colors or other characteristics.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Describe your perception of the array prior to adding color. How did your perception
change when some spheres were red and others were blue?

2. What do you think would happen if the balls were randomly colored red or blue,
rather than using rows or columns to assign color? Would grouping still occur?

3. Describe a real-world situation in which the law of similarity contributed to your

perception.

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11. Law of Good Continuation
The law of good continuation states that a figure is organized so that its lines are straight
or smoothly curved and follow the smoothest path. If the stimulus is composed of points,
rather than lines, the points are organized so that if connected, the lines created will be
straight or smoothly curved and follow the smoothest path.
This demonstration illustrates the impact of the law of good continuation. Before doing
anything to change the display, note how you organize the complex pattern into parts.
Then, move the slider to the right to separate the pattern into two components. Click on
GOOD CONTINUATION and separate the parts again. Note your reaction to this
organization.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. How did you perceptually organize the original figure? Did the first separation
confirm your expectations?

2. Describe how the pattern was organized in the GOOD CONTINUATION condition.
How is this organization consistent with the law of good continuation?

3. Describe a real-world situation that is influenced by the law of good continuation.

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12. Law of Closure
The law of closure states that figures tend to be perceived as complete, unbroken patterns.
Small gaps or other missing parts often are ignored, and the figure is organized as it
would be without those gaps. This is a very similar concept to the law of good
continuation.
This exercise illustrates the law of closure. Click on the figures to create small gaps in
the figures. Note whether your perception of the figures shape changes.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Describe your perception of the figures before and after the gaps were introduced.
Did anything change? What do you think would happen if the gaps were more
numerous or larger?

2. Describe a real-world situation in which the law of closure is at work.

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13. Law of Proximity
The law of proximity states that stimuli that are close to one another tend to be grouped
together. This exercise illustrates how the law of proximity works. Note how you would
describe the stimulus array prior to making any adjustments. Next, vary the distance
between the spheres and note how the organization of the array changes.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Report how the initial arrangement appeared. What happened when you varied the
separation between the spheres?

2. Describe a situation in the real world in which the law of proximity operates to
determine our perception.

3. Why are we usually able to determine where one object begins and another ends, even
if the objects are touching one another?

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14. Law of Common Fate
The law of common fate introduces movement as a cue for perceptual organization.
According to this Gestalt law, stimuli that move together tend to be grouped together.
Stimuli that do not move in the same direction or at the same speed as others tend to be
grouped separately.
This exercise illustrates how perceptual grouping is influenced by common fate. Note
how the objects are organized when in motion. (Note that the strawberries may move
very rapidly. To slow them down, exit the demonstration and then start it up again.) Click
on CHANGE GROUPING to see different arrangements. Note whether the law of
common fate overrides other Gestalt principles.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Why does the information provided with the demonstration suggest that the law of
common fate overrides the law of proximity in this demonstration? Describe the
situation that illustrates this idea.

2. Describe a real-world situation in which the law of common fate determines

perception.

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15. Real-World Figure-Ground Ambiguity
Rubins reversible face-vase figure is a classic example of ambiguous figure-ground
perception.
Figure-ground ambiguity is most common in artificial, scantily-detailed patterns. In most
real-world situations, there is enough information to prevent figure-ground ambiguity and
reversals, but occasionally there are situations in which cues are in conflict and reversals
occur. Such is the case of the Kaiser Porcelain Limited vase created for a wedding
present for Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Even though the object is the
vase, the reversed perspective does occur under proper conditions.
This exercise demonstrates how figure-ground segregation can shift as information
changes. Note your dominant perception when the initial high-contrast version is viewed.
Move the cursor to change the contrast and details available in the different regions of the
scene. Note how your perception changes and what seems to determine that change.
Note whether you observe any figure-ground reversals when the vase is shown in detail.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. What was the dominant figure-ground orientation of the initial version of the figure?
Describe how this changed as the characteristics of the scene changed.

2. What features did you find most important in allowing the vase to be perceived as an
object with little ambiguity? Why were reversals still possible?

3. Do you think you would have noticed the alternative figure-ground orientation for the
version showing the picture of the wedding present if you were not primed to look for
it?

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16. Figure-Ground Ambiguity
Perception of a scene first requires a determination of what parts of the stimulus array
represent background, or ground, and what parts represent objects, or figures.
This demonstration uses a painting by Bev Doolittle to investigate the effect of contrast
on figure-ground perception. Slide the cursor to adjust the scenes contrast, and note
whether lowering the contrast changes figure-ground perception. Evaluate the cues you
use to identify figure and ground in this picture. To get a better feel for how differences
in contrast influence figure-ground segregation, manipulate the contrast of only the
background.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. How did contrast influence figure-ground perception? What happened when the
contrast of only the ground was adjusted?

2. What cues allowed you to identify the figures in this ambiguous stimulus? Explain.

3. What real-world situation corresponds to the very low contrast conditions possible in
this demonstration?

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17. Perceiving Rapidly Flashed Stimuli
Visual scene perception takes place very rapidly. In order to study the time it takes to perceive
scenes, researchers such as Li Fei-Fei and colleagues have presented pictures to observers very
rapidly and asked them to describe what they could perceive at different stimulus presentation
durations. Mask stimuli are usually presented immediately after each brief picture
presentation to ensure that observers see the pictures for exactly the desired duration.
This exercise shows some rapidly flashed pictures followed by textured masks like the ones
used in Fei Fei and colleagues experiments, in which they investigated what people can take
in from briefly presented stimuli.
Demonstration Courtesy of Li Fei-Fei.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Click on the right arrow to view the film. What did you perceive when pictures were
flashed? (Note that you may not perceive anything on some trials, either because
nothing was presented, or the picture was presented too quickly.)

2. Watch the film a second time. Could you perceive any more pictures the second time
than the first time? Why do you think this might be?

3. Move the slider manually to reveal some of the pictures. Then view the film, looking
specifically for one or two particular pictures. Does your perception differ from your
initial viewing? If you saw more (even though the exposure time was still the same),
why does this occur?

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18. Rotating Mask 1
We often make unconscious perceptual assumptions that influence visual perception
based on our experience with the world. This demonstration shows how our assumption
about the three-dimensional shape of a face can create an error of perception.
This demonstration shows a film of a computer-generated face mask that is rotating.
View the mask as it rotates and note your perception of the mask as you view the hollow
side. Then, take your mouse and use it to slow down the rotation to examine the mask,
and stop the rotation of the mask at various points.
Demonstration courtesy of Michael Bach.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. What do you perceive when viewing the hollow side of the mask?

2. When you moved the mask slowly with your slider, what happened to your perception
of the face at the point when you were just able to see some of the faces features on
the hollow side? Explain why this occurred.

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19. Rotating Mask 2
This demonstration is a rotating Charlie Chaplin mask. Repeat the observations you
made in the other rotating mask demonstration (#18).
Demonstration courtesy of Michael Bach.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Compare your perception of this hollow mask to your perception of the mask in the
previous demonstration.

2. If there were differences between this demonstration and the previous one, what
characteristics of the stimulus might be involved?

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20. Rotating Mask 3
This is yet another rotating mask, but this one has a nose-ring on both sides of the mask.
Demonstration courtesy of George Papathomas.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. What do you perceive when viewing the hollow side of the mask? Which direction do
the eyes rotate when you are viewing the hollow side of the face?

2. Can you explain your perception of the nose ring relative to the mouth when viewing
the hollow side of the mask?

3. Do you perceive the illusion when the face mask is laid on its side? What happens to
the appearance of the eyes in this position as opposed to when the face mask was
upright?

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21. Global Precedence
Global precedence refers to the issue of whether information about the more global
aspects of a stimulus such as its overall shape is processed faster than information about
the local characteristics (details) of the stimulus. Some researchers suggest that a global
precedence effect might occur because global information is carried in a faster pathway
than local information.
In this experiment you will replicate an experiment originally conducted by Navon in
which large letters are created from a number of smaller letters. In some conditions that
response is made in reference to the large letters (global condition), and in other
conditions the response is to the small letters (local condition). The letters that are
irrelevant are often varied so that in some cases global and local information is consistent
(both S) and in some cases inconsistent (small S arranged in an H). This variable allows
the idea of faster global processing to be tested.
The experiment uses reaction times to examine the difference in global and local
processing. You should carefully read the instructions before beginning. Also,
remember to respond as rapidly as possible, without making too many mistakes.
Complete the practice trials so that you are familiar with the stimuli and procedures.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. Report your data for both global and local processing conditions. How does global
processing compare to local processing overall?

2. What can you conclude from your data regarding the relative speed of local and global
processing?

3. Reaction time data is very useful, but it must be interpreted carefully. If you were
slower responding to one letter, what conclusions are possible? If you were faster in
one condition than another, but you also made more errors in that condition, what
problem does this create in interpreting your data?

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