The Perception of Illusory Contours

Section I: Introductory and Historical Material.- 1 Top-Down and Bottom-Up: The Illusory Contour as a Microcosm of Issues in Perception.- History.- Definitions.- The Common Types of Illusory Contours.- Stereopsis and the Illusory Contour.- Illusory Contours, Art, and Graphic Design.- Theories of Illusory Contours.- The Plan of the Book.- 2 Contributions to the Analysis of Visual Perception—First Paper: Some Observations on the Combination of Visual Impressions into Units.- Addendum.- 3 Modifications of the Brightness Phenomenon of L. Hermann.- Hermann’s Phenomenon (Hering’s Contrast Grid Phenomenon).- Modifications of Hermann’s Phenomenon.- Towards an Explanation of the Phenomenon.- 4 Quasi-Perceptual Margins in Homogeneously Stimulated Fields.- Lines and Contours.- Virtual Lines.- Quasi-Perceptual Margins.- 1986 Addendum.- Section II Theoretical Analyses.- 5 Cues for Edge and the Origin of Illusory Contours: An Alternative Approach.- Illusory Contours and the Spread of Induced Brightness and Color.- Illusory Contours in the Absence of Induced Brightness or Color.- Illusory Contours and Apparent Depth.- Illusory Contours and Cues for Edge.- Illusory Contours as a Member of a Class of Perceptual Effects.- Concluding Comments.- 6 A Problem-Solving Approach to Illusory Contours.- The Sensory Theory: Contrast.- A Problem-Solving Theory.- Final Remarks.- 7 Anomalous Figures and the Tendency to Continuation.- Amodal Completion and Amodal Continuation.- The Role of Brightness Contrast.- The Role of Points and Ends of Lines as Inducing Elements.- 8 Illusory Figures and Pictorial Objects.- Illusory Figures Are Cognitive Creations.- Illusory Figures Are Not “Pictured”.- In Conclusion.- 9 Illusory Contours and Occluding Surfaces.- Approaches to Views of Perception and Illusions.- Illusory Contours and Ghostly Surfaces.- Invoking Surfaces.- The Role of Cognition.- Conclusion.- Section III Physiologically Based Analyses and Models.- 10 Visual Perception of Surfaces: A Biological Theory.- Section 1: Stereopsis.- Section 2: Motion.- Section 3: Color.- Discussion.- 11 The Existence of Interpolated Illusory Contours Depends on Contrast and Spatial Separation.- Experimental Methods.- Interpolated Contours and Signs of Local Contrast.- Spatial Integration of Contour Detectors.- The Nonlinear Border Detector.- 12 The Role of Illusory Contours in Visual Segmentation.- The Role of Illusory Contours in Visual Segmentation.- Dissociation Between Visible Contrasts and Recognized Groupings.- Hierarchical Resolution of the Boundary Uncertainty Induced by Orientational Sensitivity.- Spatially Short-Range Competitive Interactions.- Spatially Long-Range Cooperative Interactions.- All Boundaries Are Invisible.- Computer Simulations of Boundary Segmentation by the CC Loop.- Related Concepts.- 13 The Relationship Between Spatial Filtering and Subjective Contours.- 14 A Dynamic Model of Anomalous Figures.- Section 1: The Field Activation.- Section 2: The Field Gaps.- Section 3: The Intrafigural Polarizarion.- Section 4: Interaction Between Activation, Inhomogeneities, and Polarization.- Concluding Remarks.- 15 The Resonance Theory of Kinetic Shape Perception and the Motion-Induced Contour.- Perceptual Illusions and Confusions.- The Motion-Induced Contour and Structure from Motion.- The Resonance Theory.- Perceptual Organization in Three Dimensions.- The Edge of an Event.- Perceptual Ecology.- Section IV Brightness and Spatial Factors.- 16 An Object Perception Approach to Static and Kinetic Subjective Contours.- Direct Tests of Brightness and Configural Factors.- Subjective Figure Perception Across Space and Time: Kinetic Subjective Contours and Related Phenomena.- Prospects for an Object Perception Theory: The Identity of Subjective Figure Perception and Ordinary Perception of Partly Occluded Objects.- A Discontinuity Theory of Unit Formation in Subjective Figures and Partly Occluded Objects.- Prospects and Problems for a Discontinuity Theory.- 17 Subjective Contour Strength and Perceptual Superimposition: Transparency as a Special Case.- Contrast and Assimilation.- Experiment 1: Subjective Contour and Transparency.- Experiment 2: Matching of Brightness Differences.- Summary.- 18 The Functional Equivalence of Objective and Illusory Brightness Enhancement.- Report of the Research.- Task 1: Relationship Between Illusory and Objective Brightness Thresholds.- Task 2: Comparison of the Small Square in the Double Configuration with the Small Square Alone.- Discussion.- 19 The Role of Illumination Level in the Strength of Subjective Contours.- A Comparison of Real and Subjective Contours.- Two Experiments.- A Psychophysical Conundrum.- Theoretical Implications.- 20 Increment Thresholds in Illusory Contour Line Patterns.- Increment Thresholds in Illusory Contour Patterns.- Increment Thresholds in the Ehrenstein Pattern.- A Physiological Basis of Illusory Contours?.- Section V Time, Motion, and Reaction Time.- 21 Time, Motion, and Objectness in Illusory Contours.- Microgenesis of Real and Illusory Contours.- Some Data.- General Discussion.- Speculations.- 22 Cognitive Contours and Perceptual Organization.- 23 The Current State of Research into Visual Phantoms.- Phantoms and Lightness Relationships in Displays.- Spatial and Temporal Properties of Phantoms.- Figural Cues with Phantoms.- Mechanisms Underlying Phantoms.- 24 Amodal Completion and Illusory Figures: An Information-Processing Analysis.- The Co-occurrence of Completion and Illusory Figures.- Two Hypotheses on Completion and Illusory Figures.- An Information-Processing Analysis.- Final Considerations.- 25 Illusory Contours, Texture Segregation, and a Configural Inferiority Effect.- Experiment 1.- Experiment 2.- Experiment 3.- Texture Segregation: Experiments 4 and 5.- General Discussion and Summary.- Section VI Illusory-Contour Appearance.- 26 Set and Subjective Contour.- Physiological Theories.- Cognitive Theories.- Perceptual Set and Subjective Contours.- Informal Evidence.- Experiment 1: Set and the Shape of Subjective Contours.- Experiment 2: An Indirect Measure.- Cognitive Factors and Subjective-Contour Perception.- 27 Can We See Constructs?.- The Place of Illusory Figures in Perceptual Theory.- The Energetic vs. Informational Dichotomy.- Retinoptic Constraints on Clarity and Shape.- The “Meaning” of Color Changes.- We See Products, Not Constructs.- 28 Lo, Perception Abhors Not a Contradiction.- Subjective Contours and Disconfirming Evidence Coexist.- Impressions of Unreality.- Why Are Subjective Contours Apparently Unreal?.- Comparison with Geometrical Illusions.- Perceptual Effects.- 29 The Perception of Illusory Contours: A Skills Analysis.- Perceptual Processing and Perceptual Skill.- Effort, Automaticity, and Perceptual Skill.- 30 Perceptual Grouping and Subjective Contours.- Perceptual “Wholes” and Subjective Contours.- When Collinearity Is Not Enough—Subjective Contours Delineating Large Areas.- The Importance of Amodal Completion.- Conclusions.- 31 Allusory Contours.- References.- Author Index.