Figure-ground Perception Research Articles

Perceptual Style of Varsity Tennis Players

In the sport of tennis, the player is confronted with a complex external environment. From chis environment, visual informarion must be extracted to allow the player to select and classify necessary cues for initiating the appropriate response. For example, the player must observe the opponent's racket, body position, the point of ball contacr, and the flight of the ball. The impact of a visual stimulus on the perceptual processes of sensory capacities, central processing and memory may be a key factor in success at tennis. Perceptual style has been extensively studied by Witkin and associates (4, 5, 6 ) who became interested in the manner in which people perceive an object in relation to its surroundings. This phenomenon is referred to as the figure-ground principle. The concept of field-dependence is represented by mfo contrasting perceptual modes conceived as opposite ends of a continuum. The field-dependent or global mode indicates the difficulty of separating objects from their surroundings while the field-independent or analytical mode represents the ease of detecting objects from their surroundings. In studying the perceptual style of tennis Kreiger ( 3 ) found a relationship between figure-ground perception and spatial adjustments, but Enberg's findings ( 2 ) did not show a significant relationship between directionality and field dependence. Barrell and Trippe (1) found highly skilled tennis players were more field dependent than moderately skilled players. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptual style of varsity tennis players and the relationship between perceprual style and team rank of these players. The men's and women's 1976-77 varsity teams of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were asked to participate in this study; 11 of 12 females and 8 of 8 males volunteered. The team rank of individuals was acquired from the respective coaches. The method used by the coaches to determine the individual's team rank was a challenge ladder tournament and previous individual win/loss record. To assess the field dependence of the subjects Witkin's Group Embedded Figures Test was used. The test has two timed sections of 18 com~lex fimres. The task of the subiect is to identifv a concealed firmre from its surroun'dines. -The total number of simile forms corre&ly traced determ:nes the score. The hlgKer the score, with a possible 18, the greater the field independence. The score ranged from 0 to 17 for females and from 4 to 18 for males. The mean score for men ( M = 12 88. u = 5.30) was slightly higher than the mean score for women ( M = 10.45, u = 5.75). There was no statistically significant difference in scores between the sexes ( r = 3 3 ) . The mean score for the total group ( M = 11.47, u = 5.55) suggests that these tennis players tend to be slightly field independent. Using Spearman's rank-correlation coefficient, the relationship between the Group Embedded Figures Test and individual's team rank was assessed. The nonsignificant coefficient for 8 males was 0.0 and that for 11 females was -0.07, while for the total group p = 0.13, indicating there is no relationship between field dependence and team position on these varsity tennis teams. Cross-validation is essential.

Birth order and perceptual motor performance.

To examine the relationship between performance on the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception and birth order, 578 first-graders were tested. Later-born children performed significantly better than did firstborns on specific subtests of the Frostig (Visual-motor Coordination and Figure-ground Perception). There was a significant interaction on Perceptual Constancy which indicated that later-born males performed significantly better than did firstborn males. A secondary finding was a r of .547, a stronger relationship between intelligence level and global perceptual performance than previously reported.

Problems Encountered in Development of Instrumentation to Measure Figure-Ground Perception among Young Children

The purpose of this study was to report problems encountered in the measurement of visual figure-ground perception. Conclusions from five related studies suggested that the skill may be a combination of related factors.

Convergent and Discriminant Validation of the Trait of Visual Figure-Ground Perception

The study investigated the construct validity of the trait of visual figure-ground perception by means of a multitrait-multimethod analysis of visual figure-ground perception, form recognition, and verbal ability, as well as the use of four methods of measuring those specific traits. Subjects were 64 upper-middle-class first grade children, mean CA 6-7 years, who were screened for intelligence (Slosson IQ =99.9) and to rule out visual perceptual problems. Measures of the trait of visual figure-ground perception were found to possess a moderate degree of convergent validity but discriminant validity was not demonstrated. Considerable method-of-measurement bias and shared trait variance between visual figure-ground perception and form recognition were found to exist. Construct validity was not demonstrated for the trait of visual figure-ground perception as a distinct visual perceptual skill. Cautions are presented for the educational use of “visual figure-ground perception.”

The effects of method of measurement upon children's performance on visual perceptual tasks

Sixty-four first-grade children of average or above intelligence who did not evidence visual perceptual dysfunction were administered a series of visual perceptual tasks. The tasks evaluated the skills of visual figure-ground perception and form discrimination and involved four methods of measurement of these abilities: tachistoscopic, untimed, naming, and recognition. Results indicated considerable method of measurement influence upon task performance. Implications of the results for both researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Attention Deficits In Children With Learning Disabilities

Twenty-one experimental studies of attention deficits in children with learning disabilities were reviewed. Included in the review were studies of distractibility, hyperactivity, impulsivity, vigilance, and intersensory integration. From the accumulated evidence, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) Children with learning disabilities exhibit more distractibility than controls on tasks involving embedded contexts (figure-ground perception tasks) and on tests of incidental vs. central learning. They are not differentially distracted by other types of distractors such as flashing lights and extraneous color cues. (2) Hyperactivity of children with learning disabilities may be situational-specific, with higher levels of activity being exhibited in the structured situation. (3) Children with learning disabilities are more impulsive, i.e. less reflective, than controls. (4) Children with learning disabilities are deficient in their ability to maintain attention over prolonged periods of time. Studies of attention within a standardized testing framework were also discussed

Frostig Revisited

This investigation attempted to determine (1) the correlations among the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception, the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, and an experimental Visual Discrimination Test of Words, and (2) the visual perceptual factors that emerged when the data were treated factorially. The three visual perceptual tests were administered to 154 children from eight kindergarten classes. The orthogonally rotated variables for the present sample disclosed three visual perceptual factors: visual-motor skills, figure-ground perception, and visual discrimination skills. An analysis of the specific correlates of the three selected visual perceptual tests suggested that the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception is comprised of more than one general visual perceptual ability. The data supported the presence of three distinct perceptual behaviors measured by the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception.

Relationships among visual figure-ground perception, word recognition, IQ, and chronological age.

In a study of 118 educable mentally handicapped children (IQ 45 to 85), significant differences in visual figure-ground perception were found between achievers who showed no word recognition and those who showed word recognition. Visual figure-ground perception was related to IQ and chronological age.

Introversion-extraversion and figure-ground perception.

Introversion-extraversion and figure-ground perception.

Reinforcement in figure-ground perception.

Two parts (faces) of a reversible figure were differentially reinforced by giving S money whenever he was shown one of the faces and taking money from him whenever he was shown the other face. After these reinforcement trials, the 24 Ss were able to locate the face previously associated with reward reliably more rapidly than the other face. The results were interpreted as indicating that changes in figure perception may be influenced by past histories of reward and punishment associated with the figures.

Modification of figure-ground perception as a function of awareness of demand characteristics.

Modification of figure-ground perception as a function of awareness of demand characteristics.

Figure-ground perception and random geometry

Constructs of random geometry were applied to the problem of figure-ground perception. Random-dot images of black and white dots with various area fractions and tesselations (square and triangular lattices) were used as stimuli. The constructs of random geometry are correlation functions of n-th order and some functionals defined on them. The only parameter which is independent of the tesselation used is the first-order correlation which is the area fraction. It was first conjectured and then experimentally verified that figureground perception is not affected by the various tesselations used. Thus, figure-ground phenomena depend only on the area fraction of the white and black dots in the stimulus. There is a perceptual bias for white, that is, figure-ground reversal is easiest at 40 percent white-black area fraction. It was also experimentally shown that size-constancy prevails in figure-ground perception, but brightnes s-constancy does not.

Figure-ground perception and random geometry

Constructs of random geometry were applied to the problem of figure-ground perception. Random-dot images of black and white dots with various area fractions and tesselations (square and triangular lattices) were used as stimuli. The constructs of random geometry are correlation functions of n-th order and some functionals defined on them. The only parameter which is independent of the tesselation used is the first-order correlation which is the area fraction. It was first conjectured and then experimentally verified that figure-ground perception is not affected by the various tesselations used. Thus, figure-ground phenomena depend only on the area fraction of the white and black dots in the stimulus. There is a perceptual bias for white, that is, figure-ground reversal is easiest at 40 percent white-black area fraction. It was also experimentally shown that size-constancy prevails in figure-ground perception, but brightness-constancy does not.

Reward and punishment: a determinant in figure-ground perception?

In a repetition of D. N. Jackson's experiment (1954) only half of 32 subjects reported previously rewarded profiles more often than punished ones. Post‐experimental interviews suggest that the effect may depend upon whether or not the subject grasps the purpose of the experiment. Another alternative to the original interpretation, based on the concept of ‘autism.’, is that rewarded profiles are reported more frequently because they are learned better than the punished profiles. A second experiment supports the assumption that the one profile of a reversible pair which is learned most completely is also the one reported most frequently in the post‐training series. The appropriateness of the experimental design for the study of figure‐ground perception is questioned.

Past experience and figure-ground perception.

Past experience and figure-ground perception.

An investigation of auditory figure-ground perception.

(1961). An Investigation of Auditory Figure-Ground Perception. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Vol. 98, No. 2, pp. 229-237.

Autism, Emphasis, and Figure-Ground Perception

Autism, Emphasis, and Figure-Ground Perception

The Effect of “Punishment” (Electric Shock) on Figure-Ground Perception

The Effect of “Punishment” (Electric Shock) on Figure-Ground Perception

A re-examination of the effect of monetary reward and punishment on figure-ground perception.

A re-examination of the effect of monetary reward and punishment on figure-ground perception.