Perceptual Grouping Research Articles

Investigating the relationship between subjective perception and unconscious feature integration.

Visual features need to be temporally integrated to detect motion signals and solve the many ill-posed problems of vision. It has previously been shown that such integration occurs in windows of unconscious processing of up to 450 milliseconds. However, whether features are integrated should be governed by perceptually meaningful mechanisms. Here, we expand on previous findings suggesting that subjective perception and integration may be linked. Specifically, different observers were found to group elements differently and to exhibit corresponding feature integration behavior. If the former were to influence the latter, perception would appear to not only be the outcome of integration but to potentially also be part of it. To test any such linkages more systematically, we here examined the role of one of the key perceptual grouping cues, color similarity, in the Sequential Metacontrast Paradigm (SQM). In the SQM, participants are presented with two streams of lines that are expanding from the center outwards. If several lines in the attended motion stream are offset, offsets integrate unconsciously and mandatorily for periods of up to 450 milliseconds. Across three experiments, we presented lines of varied colors. Our results reveal that individuals who perceive differently colored lines as "popping out" from the motion stream do not exhibit mandatory integration but that individuals who perceive such lines as part of an integrated motion stream do show offset integration behavior across the entire stream. These results attest to the proposed linkage between subjective perception and integration behavior in the SQM.

A majority group perspective on the association between perceived national identification of minority groups and minority helping

AbstractPrevious research has shown that majority group members are more willing to help minority group members of the same nation, particularly when the majority group members strongly identify with the national group. However, existing research has overlooked the extent to which the majority group's perception of how strongly minority groups identify with the national group (i.e., the perceived national identification of minority groups) explains minority helping (i.e., the majority group's intentions to help minority groups). To fill this void, we conducted a correlational survey among 980 Javanese, the ethnic majority in Indonesia. The results revealed that the perceived national identification of non‐Javanese minorities positively corresponded with the majority group's national identification. More perceived national identification of the minority groups and the majority group's national identification significantly correlated with more positive attitudes, liking, and helping intentions toward the minority groups. Finally, the perceptions that the non‐Javanese rejected the majority group's aspiration to exert control over them (i.e., the perceived denial of the need for power) negatively predicted the perceived national identification of the minority groups and minority helping. The perceived national identity of minority groups can influence minority helping; however, the perceived denial of the need for power may hinder it.

Time to consider time: Comparing human reaction times to dynamical signatures from recurrent vision models on a perceptual grouping task

Time to consider time: Comparing human reaction times to dynamical signatures from recurrent vision models on a perceptual grouping task

Older Adults' Acceptance of a Virtual Reality Group Intervention in Nursing Homes: Pre-Post Study Under Naturalistic Conditions.

Virtual reality (VR) group activities can act as interventions against inactivity and lack of meaningful activities in nursing homes. The acceptance of VR among older adults has been explored from different perspectives. However, research on the impact of older adults' individual characteristics on the acceptance of VR group activities in nursing homes is necessary. This study investigates the impact of individual characteristics (eg, psychosocial capacities) on VR acceptance among older adults in nursing homes, as well as this group's perceptions of VR after participating in a VR intervention. In this pre-post study conducted in nursing homes, we applied a VR group intervention with 113 older adult participants. These participants were categorized into two groups based on their naturalistic choice to join the intervention: a higher VR acceptance group (n=90) and a lower VR acceptance group (n=23). We compared the two groups with respect to their sociodemographic characteristics, psychosocial capacities, and attitudes toward new technologies. Additionally, we examined the participants' perceptions of VR. The results show that those with lower acceptance of VR initially reported higher capacities in organizing daily activities and stronger interpersonal relationships compared to older adults with higher VR acceptance. The VR group activity might hold limited significance for the latter group, but it offers the chance to activate older adults with lower proactivity. Openness to new technology was associated with a favorable perception of VR. After the VR intervention, the acceptance of VR remained high. This study investigates the acceptance of VR group events as meaningful activities for older adults in nursing homes under naturalistic conditions. The results indicate that the VR group intervention effectively addressed low proactivity and interpersonal relationship issues among older adults in nursing homes. Older adults should be encouraged to experience VR if the opportunity to participate is offered, potentially facilitated by caregivers or trusted individuals.

Exploring perceptual grouping by proximity principle in multistable dot lattices: Dissociation between vision-for-perception and vision-for-action.

Perceptual grouping, a fundamental mechanism in our visual system, significantly influences our interpretation of and interaction with the surrounding world. This study explores the impact of the proximity principle from the perspective of the Two Visual Systems (TVS) model. The TVS model argues that the visual system comprises two distinct streams: the ventral stream, which forms the neural basis for "vision-for-perception," and the dorsal stream, which underlies "vision-for-action." We designed a perceptual grouping task using dot lattices as well as a line-orientation discrimination task. Data were collected using vocal and mouse methods for the vision-for-perception mode, and joystick and pen-paper methods for the vision-for-action mode. Each method, except for vocal, included separate blocks for right and left hands. The proximity data were fitted using exponential and power models. Linear mixed-effects models were used for the statistical analyses. The results revealed similar line-orientation discrimination accuracy across all conditions. The exponential model emerged as the best fit, demonstrating adherence to the Pure Distance Law in both perceptual modes. Sensitivity to the proximity principle was higher in the vision-for-action mode compared to the vision-for-perception. In terms of orientation biases, a strong preference for vertical orientation was observed in the vision-for-perception mode, whereas a noticeable preference toward either of the oblique orientations was detected in the vision-for-action mode. Analysis of free-drawn lines demonstrated an affordance bias in the vision-for-action mode. This suggests a remarkable tendency to perceive organizations within specific orientations that offer more affordances due to the interaction between the body postures and tools.

Developing Writers' Communicative Writing Skills Through Standard-based Rubrics: A Case Study of Qassim University Students

The use of rubrics to assess quality performance and progress across educational fields is gaining prominence, as it mainly assists in targeting essential complex components in writing. This study suggests that standard-based rubrics inspire writers to become proficient communicators. Rubrics identify the gaps that need to be addressed based on the alignment of learning goals and precise writing standards underpinned with clear guidance. A mixed qualitative-quantitative approach was used. The participants were 60 students from Qassim University's College of Science, divided into experimental and control groups. A pretest was administered to both groups. Next, intervention pertinent to standard-based rubrics was made to train the experimental group to perform several writing tasks. Then, a posttest was conducted by both groups to validate the study hypothesis, gauge students' progress, and verify performance. A questionnaire was distributed to detect the experimental group's perceptions and any changes that resulted from the process. Significant results have been obtained, and the findings will benefit education and research.

Influence of frame and probe paths on the frame effect.

Moving frames produce large displacements in the perceived location of flashed and continuously moving probes. In a series of experiments, we test the contributions of the probe's displacement and the frame's displacement on the strength of the frame's effect. In the first experiment, we find a dramatic position shift of flashed probes whereas the effect on a continuously moving probe is only one-third as strong. In Experiment2, we show that the absence of an effect for the static probe is a consequence of its perceptual grouping with the static background. As long as the continuously present probe has some motion, it appears to group to some extent with the frame and show an illusory shift of intermediate magnitude. Finally, we informally explored the illusory shifts seen for a continuously moving probe when the frame itself has a more complex path. In this case, the probe appears to group more strongly with the frame. Overall, the effects of the frame on the probe demonstrate the outcome of a competition between the frame and the static background in determining the frame of reference for the probe's perceived position.

The effect of Philosophy for Children (P4C) activities on the development of moral perception and social rules of preschool children

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of P4C implementations on children's perceptions of moral and social rules. The study was carried out with a total of 48 children aged five years old, 23 of them in the experimental group and 25 of them in the control group, attending a public school in the 2023–2024 academic years. A quasi-experimental design was used in the research, and the fully mixed sequential equal status design, one of the mixed research typologies, was applied. The Preschool Children's Conceptions of Moral and Social Rules Scale was applied in the quantitative dimension of the research, and observation, interviews, and anecdotal records constituted the qualitative data collection dimension. Briefly, after the implementation process, the experimental group's perception of moral and social norms improved. In the current study, a substantial difference between the children's moral rule and social rule perceptions after the P4C sessions was discovered when the experimental group's moral rule and social rule perception scale scores were analyzed before and after the implementation. A noticeable improvement in cognitive and social-emotional development was seen. It was determined that positive behaviors improved, particularly in moral situations requiring tolerance, in the experimental group. The study came to the conclusion that teaching children philosophy helps them enhance their critical thinking skills.

ERP and functional connectivity reveal hemispheric asymmetry in perceptual grouping

The human visual system can effortlessly group small components into entities to form an object, but the role of the hemispheres in this processing is still unknown. Understanding the hemispherical processing of perceptual grouping is crucial for unraveling the complexities of visual perception. We have attempted to examine the processing of perceptual grouping in both hemispheres of the human brain. The neural data was collected for 15 healthy subjects while they viewed displays featuring either ‘structure’ (line segments composed of dots) or ‘non-structure’ (random dots). ERPs were recorded and assessed in both frontal and occipital regions of the left and right hemispheres for structure and non-structure stimuli. Our results revealed higher activation for structure compared to non-structure in both brain hemispheres, with notably amplified activity observed in the right hemisphere. Moreover, a decrease in task-related alpha power and an increase in PLI functional connectivity were observed during the perceptual grouping of structures. A novel finding that the Granger causality exhibits a higher value for perceptual grouping when information flows from the right to the left hemisphere, in contrast to communication from left to right, is obtained. Thus, the right hemisphere demonstrated distinct dominance in activation amplitude, task-related alpha power, functional connectivity, and directional functional connectivity related to perceptual grouping. Furthermore, our findings suggest that perceptual grouping involves communication between the frontal and occipital brain regions. By elucidating the hemispherical mechanisms underlying perceptual grouping, this research not only advances our understanding of basic cognitive processes but also offers practical implications for fields such as neurorehabilitation and artificial intelligence.

Object-based suppression in target search but not in distractor inhibition.

The present study investigated the effect of object representation on attentional priority regarding distractor inhibition and target search processes while the statistical regularities of singleton distractor location were biased. A color singleton distractor appeared more frequently at one of six stimulus locations, called the 'high-probability location,' to induce location-based suppression. Critically, three objects were presented, each of which paired two adjacent stimuli in a target display by adding background contours (Experiment 1) or using perceptual grouping (Experiments 2 and 3). The results revealed that attention capture by singleton distractors was hardly modulated by objects. In contrast, target selection was impeded at the location in the object containing the high-probability location compared to an equidistant location in a different object. This object-based suppression in target selection was evident when object-related features were parts of task-relevant features. These findings suggest that task-irrelevant objects modulate attentional suppression. Moreover, different features are engaged in determining attentional priority for distractor inhibition and target search processes.

Linking types of East Javanese rice farming systems to farmers' perceptions of complex rice systems

CONTEXTComplex rice systems (CRS) are polycultures in which rice is grown together with one or more plant or animal species using combined methods of practices from indigenous knowledge and modern science in augmenting ecological processes to foster ecosystem services in rice agroecosystems. However, their implementation faces challenges due to farmers' knowledge gaps, high capital outlay and labour shortages. OBJECTIVEThis study aims to link types of rice farming and farmer perceptions to facilitate recommendations to scale up CRS. METHODSWe constructed a farm typology based on a survey of 111 farm households and aggregated cognitive maps (ACMs) based on fuzzy cognitive maps developed in focus group discussions in Malang and Lamongan, East Java Province, Indonesia. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe farm typology classified farm households into three types: (a) small farms with high inputs of agrochemicals (SH, n = 29) which were all identified in Malang; (b) medium-size farms with high input intensity of agrochemicals (MH, n = 43), distributed across Malang and Lamongan; and (c) medium-size farms with low inputs of agrochemicals (ML, n = 39), all detected in Lamongan. ACMs revealed the differences in farmer group's perceptions on farm input-output relations, agroecosystems processes and CRS component interactions. SH and MH farmers prioritised economic benefits over ecosystem services and crop-livestock components. SH farmers were locked into high-input and high-output systems, while MH farmers failed to obtain high output despite high input use. Intervention schemes could be developed such as thorough training on economics for SH farmers and efficient use and on-farm production of fertilisers for MH farmers. Meanwhile, with the majority of ML farmers having adopted CRS, their priorities were more evenly distributed across all components, implying their more holistic understanding of the interacted components. However, technical assistance on agronomic, post-harvest management and marketing were still considered to be needed to ensure a long-term sustainability of CRS practices by ML farmers. SIGNIFICANCECombining farm typology and fuzzy cognitive mapping could facilitate a comprehensive understanding of farming system types, their characteristics and farmer perceptions as a key to formulate appropriate interventions for a specific farm type. Therefore, these methodological approaches could provide guidance to accelerate transitions toward complex agroecosystems.

Reduced influence of perceptual context in mild traumatic brain injury is not an illusion.

Perceptual grouping is impaired following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This may affect visual size perception, a process influenced by perceptual grouping abilities. We conducted two experiments to evaluate visual size perception in people with self-reported history of mTBI, using two different size-contrast illusions: the Ebbinghaus Illusion (Experiment 1) and the Müller-Lyer illusion (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, individuals with mTBI and healthy controls were asked to compare the size of two target circles that were either the same size or different sizes. The target circles appeared by themselves (no-context condition), or were surrounded by smaller or larger circles (context condition). Similar levels of accuracy were evident between the groups in the no-context condition. However, size judgements by mTBI participants were more accurate in the context condition, suggesting that they processed the target circles separately from the surrounding circles. In Experiment 2, individuals with mTBI and healthy controls judged the length of parallel lines that appeared with arrowheads (context condition) or without arrowheads (no context condition). Consistent with Experiment 1, size judgements by mTBI participants were more accurate than size judgements by control participants in the context condition. These findings suggest that mTBI influences size perception by impairing perceptual grouping of visual stimuli in near proximity.

UI semantic component group detection: Grouping UI elements with similar semantics in mobile graphical user interface

Texts, widgets, and images on a UI page do not work separately. Instead, they are partitioned into groups to achieve certain interaction functions or visual information. Existing studies on UI elements grouping mainly focus on a specific single UI-related software engineering task, and their groups vary in appearance and function. In this case, we propose our semantic component groups that pack adjacent text and non-text elements with similar semantics. In contrast to those task-oriented grouping methods, our semantic component group can be adopted for multiple UI-related software tasks, such as retrieving UI perceptual groups, improving code structure for automatic UI-to-code generation, and generating accessibility data for screen readers. To recognize semantic component groups on a UI page, we propose a robust, deep learning-based vision detector, UISCGD, which extends the SOTA deformable-DETR by incorporating UI element color representation and a learned prior on group distribution. The model is trained on our UI screenshots dataset of 1988 mobile GUIs from more than 200 apps in both iOS and Android platforms. The evaluation shows that our UISCGD achieves 6.1% better than the best baseline algorithm and 5.4 % better than deformable-DETR in which it is based.

Serial processing of proximity groups and similarity groups.

Proximity and feature similarity are two important determinants of perceptual grouping in vision. When viewing visual scenes conveying both grouping options simultaneously, people most usually detect proximity groups faster than similarity groups. This article demonstrates that perceptual judgments of grouping orientation guided by either proximity or contrast similarity are indicative of a sequential organization of grouping operations in the visual pathway, which lends a temporal processing advantage to proximity grouping (Experiment 1). Invoking the double-factorial paradigm, latent cognitive architecture for perceptual grouping is also investigated in a task with redundant signals (Experiment 2). Reaction time data from this task is assessed in terms of the race model inequality, workload capacity analysis, and interaction contrasts of means and survivor functions. Again, empirical benchmarks indicate serial processing of proximity groups and similarity groups, with a self-terminating stopping rule for processing. A subset of participants exhibit atypical performance metrics, hinting at possible individual differences in configural visual processing.

Muddy, muddled, or muffled? Understanding the perception of audio quality in music by hearing aid users.

Previous work on audio quality evaluation has demonstrated a developing convergence of the key perceptual attributes underlying judgments of quality, such as timbral, spatial and technical attributes. However, across existing research there remains a limited understanding of the crucial perceptual attributes that inform audio quality evaluation for people with hearing loss, and those who use hearing aids. This is especially the case with music, given the unique problems it presents in contrast to human speech. This paper presents a sensory evaluation study utilising descriptive analysis methods, in which a panel of hearing aid users collaborated, through consensus, to identify the most important perceptual attributes of music audio quality and developed a series of rating scales for future listening tests. Participants (N = 12), with a hearing loss ranging from mild to severe, first completed an online elicitation task, providing single-word terms to describe the audio quality of original and processed music samples; this was completed twice by each participant, once with hearing aids, and once without. Participants were then guided in discussing these raw terms across three focus groups, in which they reduced the term space, identified important perceptual groupings of terms, and developed perceptual attributes from these groups (including rating scales and definitions for each). Findings show that there were seven key perceptual dimensions underlying music audio quality (clarity, harshness, distortion, spaciousness, treble strength, middle strength, and bass strength), alongside a music audio quality attribute and possible alternative frequency balance attributes. We outline how these perceptual attributes align with extant literature, how attribute rating instruments might be used in future work, and the importance of better understanding the music listening difficulties of people with varied profiles of hearing loss.

Robust, Resilient Enhanced CAMSHIFT Model: Advancing Face Detection and Tracking Stability in Challenging Environments

This paper presents the development of a robust CAMSHIFT model for theoretical face detection and tracking. The proposed model integrates innovative techniques such as Perceptual Grouping, three Connected Component Operators, Weighted Adaptive Colour Histogram, and Selective Adaptation. Experimental results highlight its superior performance across scenarios like occlusions, varying illumination, near/far face tracking, skin-like background tracking, and disturbance from multiple faces. The normalized log-likelihood index serves as a robust indicator for face tracking analysis. Connected Component operations provide strong markers for error detection in video sequences. The enhanced CAMSHIFT algorithm exhibits resilience and stability, even in the presence of occlusions. Comparisons with the original CAMSHIFT reveal the enhanced model's superiority, extending tracking range to 500 cm, a calculated enhancement of 42.9 percent improvement. The study consistently favours the robust and resilient CAMSHIFT model in tracking against skin-like backgrounds and disturbances. Despite webcam convenience in used for algorithm development, the benefits of high-performance camera systems are envisioned for future research. This model is a significant advancement in face detection methods, promising improved adaptability and tracking capabilities.

MPG-LSD: A high-quality line segment detector based on multi-scale perceptual grouping

Existing methods that rely on a single Gaussian scale to detect line segments could yield poor line continuity and inferior orientation and position accuracy due to insufficient suppression of quantization noise inherent in digital images. To address this fundamental issue, a novel multi-scale perceptual grouping-based line segment detector (MPG-LSD) is proposed in this paper. Our multi-scale perceptual grouping is developed to identify and aggregate collinear pixels that have similar gradient orientations for producing line segment candidates, not only over the input image but also across a set of Gaussian scales. Multi-scale line segment refinement and validation are then further developed and implemented to produce the final detection result, which delivers high quality in terms of line continuity, orientation and position accuracy. To enrich the evaluation of line segment detection performance, a new dataset consisting of high-resolution and natural noise-corrupted images with line segment annotations is constructed. Extensive experimental results show that our proposed MPG-LSD can outperform the current state-of-the-arts by a large margin.

Improving Illness Perception Through Self-Care Behavior Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Self-Care Behavior Training intervention on individuals' perception of illness by comparing experimental and control groups over time, with measurements taken at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. The study involved a total of 40 participants, divided equally into experimental and control groups. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the baseline characteristics of both groups. A mixed-design ANOVA was conducted to explore the effects of time (pre-test, post-test, follow-up), group (experimental, control), and their interaction on the perception of illness. The Bonferroni post-hoc test was applied to assess differences between individual time points for the experimental group. The experimental group showed a significant improvement in illness perception from pre-test to post-test (mean difference = 26.73, p=0.001) and maintained this improvement at follow-up (mean difference from pre-test = 27.74, p=0.001). There was no significant change between post-test and follow-up (mean difference = 1.01, p=1.00), indicating the intervention's lasting effect. The control group did not demonstrate significant changes over time. The ANOVA results confirmed significant effects of time (F=10.83, p<0.01), group (F=10.55, p<0.01), and their interaction (F=10.03, p<0.01) on illness perception. The intervention significantly improved the experimental group's perception of illness, with these improvements sustained over time. The control group's stable illness perception across all stages emphasizes the intervention's efficacy. These findings suggest that targeted interventions can effectively alter illness perceptions, which may have important implications for patient care and recovery processes.

Fiatalok, vidék, vidékkép

The study presents the results of a survey conducted among young people in secondary school in Miercurea-Ciuc, which investigated young people's attitudes towards rurality. The results of the data collection are presented in four thematic areas: opinions on the countryside, arguments in favour of rural lifestyle, barriers to choosing a rural lifestyle, and the target group's perception of what factors of the area under study would be valuable for a foreigner.

Metacognitive Journal: An Intervention Strategy in Enhancing Low-Achieving Student’s Performance in Solving Functions and Perceptions Towards Mathematics

This research aimed to evaluate the performance of low-achieving students in solving mathematical functions—rational, inverse, logarithmic, and exponential—and their perceptions of mathematics. It also investigated the impact of metacognitive journals on these aspects. This was conducted on the Grade 11 General Academic Strand (GAS) students at Araceli National High School, the study divided participants into two groups: with metacognitive journals and no metacognitive journals. The effectiveness of the journals was measured using a 50-item test on solving functions and a 30-item test on students' perceptions of mathematics. The findings revealed that students using metacognitive journals generally showed score improvements and better posttest performance compared to those who did not use the journals. These students also developed more positive attitudes towards mathematics, though they faced challenges such as maintaining focus and feeling peer pressure. In contrast, students without journals enjoyed peer interactions but showed a slight decrease in performance. Overall, both groups had positive perceptions of mathematics, but the experimental group's perceptions of classmates and teachers were slightly less favorable. The study concluded that metacognitive journals are beneficial for enhancing learning and performance in mathematics, recommending their integration into classroom practices and assessments.