Abstract
We report two experiments on the role of mid-level processes in image segmentation and completion. In the primed matching task of Experiment 1, a cue→prime sequence was presented before the imperative stimulus consisting of target shapes with positive versus negative contour curvature polarity and one versus two axes of mirror symmetry. Priming shapes were included in two composite occlusion displays with the same T-junction information and different geometric features supporting a distinct balance between completion and mosaic solutions. A cue, either congruent or incongruent with targets, preceded the presentation of the composite priming display. Matching performance was affected by primes in the expected direction, while cue congruency participated only in a marginally significant three-way interaction, and prime duration had no effect. In Experiment 2, the cue→prime sequence was replaced by a fixation cross to control for the priming effect obtained in Experiment 1. The study confirmed that contour connectability and curvature polarity are effective structural factors capable of competing with symmetry in mid-level image segmentation and completion processes.
Highlights
Amodal completion refers to the phenomenal presence of object parts lacking the property that characterizes the relevant sensory modality as well as to processes that allegedly support their formation (Gerbino, 2017)
We used a primed matching paradigm to understand how image segmentation and completion are impacted by three mid-level factors: connectability of T-stems, contour curvature polarity (CCP), and mirror symmetry
We used R packages to perform an LME analysis with Rotation, CCP, Symmetry, Cue, and Exposure as fixed effects and Subjects as random factor using the Satterthwaite approximation for degrees of freedom
Summary
Amodal completion refers to the phenomenal presence of object parts lacking the property that characterizes the relevant sensory modality (e.g., color for vision) as well as to processes that allegedly support their formation (Gerbino, 2017). Perceptual organization goes beyond image segmentation—that is, the unification-segregation of input elements—to include at least the extrapolation of such elements and often their completion in well-formed wholes. We used a primed matching paradigm to understand how image segmentation and completion are impacted by three mid-level factors: connectability of T-stems, contour curvature polarity (CCP), and mirror symmetry. Following Fantoni and Gerbino (2013), we use the generic term ‘‘connectability’’ to refer to simplicity of the smooth connection of two contour segments, avoiding specific relatability assumptions (Kellman, 2003; Kellman & Shipley, 1991). We just assume that connectability of symmetric segments monotonically decreases as they depart from collinearity (Fulvio, Singh, & Maloney, 2014)
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