Oxyopia Abstract

October 18, 2002
Noon
489 Minor Hall

Annual Irvin Rock Memorial Lecture (see information page)

Mary A. Peterson, PhD
Cognitive Science Program. Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson
Host: Steve Palmer

Title

"On figure and ground assignment: The role of memory and context"

Abstract

It has long been thought that figure and ground assignment precedes access to shape and object memories. On the traditional view, depth cues and low-level cues (e.g., symmetry, convexity, relative area, and enclosure) first produce a shaped entity that then serves as a substrate for access to holistic memories of previously seen shapes/objects. I will summarize a series of experiments indicating that this traditional assumption is incorrect. Instead, memories of the partial structure of known shapes (objects) are accessed sufficiently early in the course of perceptual processing to affect figure and ground assignment. Next, I will present a competitive model of the interactions between figural cues on opposite sides of a border and experiments testing predictions from the model. I will summarize new research revealing that a single exposure to a novel border establishes a memory that affects figure assignment when the border is next encountered. Finally, I will present research revealing contextual influences on the strength of figural cues.

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