Microgenesis and Ontogenesis of Perceptual Organization

Abstract

In two experiments, visual search and speeded classification were used to study perception of hierarchical patterns among participants aged 5 to 23 years. Perception of global configurations of few-element patterns and local elements of many-element patterns showed large age-related improvements. Only minor age-related changes were observed in perception of global configurations of many-element patterns and local elements of few-element patterns. These results are consistent with prior microgenetic analyses using hierarchical patterns. On the one hand, the rapid and effortless grouping of many small elements and the individuation of few large elements both mature by age 5. In contrast, the time-consuming and effortful grouping of few large elements and the individuation of many small elements improve substantially with age, primarily between ages 5 and 10. These findings support the view that perceptual organization involves multiple processes that vary in time course, attentional demands, and developmental trajectories.

Developmental trends in utilizing perceptual closure for grouping of shape: Effects of spatial proximity and collinearity

“…In the absence of closure (i.e., the open stimuli), the discrimination between the concave and the convex stimuli cannot be based on shape properties but, rather, requires an explicit apprehending of the relative spatial placement of the two line segments for each stimulus. Thus, the age-related improvements for the open stimuli may be a result of improvements in spatial abilities (e.g., Kimchi et al, 2005;Stiles, 2001). Having demonstrated that young children are as good as adults in deriving the shape of a closed, connected figure, we now will turn to an examination of the ability of children and adults to utilize closure in fragmented figures as a function of the spatial proximity between the closure-inducing fragments and the presence or absence of collinearity.…”

“…The growing body of research on perceptual organization suggests that not all groupings are equal in their time course, attentional demands, and developmental trajectory (e.g., Behrmann & Kimchi, 2003;Ben Av & Sagi, 1995;Kellman, 1996;Kimchi, 1998Kimchi, , 2000Kimchi, Hadad, Behrmann, & Palmer, 2005;Kimchi & Razpurker-Apfeld, 2004;Kovacs, Kozma, Feher, & Benedek, 1999;Kurylo, 1997;Quinn, Bhatt, Brush, Grimes, & Sharpnack, 2002;Spelke, 1982). This study focuses on the development of the ability to utilize closure and its combination with collinearity and proximity to organize fragmented image contours into shapes.…”

“…Studies of the development of perceptual organization beyond the 2nd year of age are few and far between, but those that exist indicate that some perceptual organization abilities remain incomplete well into childhood (e.g., Kaldy & Kovacs, 2003;Kimchi et al, 2005;Kovacs, 2000;Kovacs et al, 1999;Lewis et al, 2004;Rieth & Sireteanu, 1994;Sireteanu, 2000;Sireteanu & Rieth, 1992). For example, Kovacs (2000;Kovacs et al, 1999) found a significant improvement in children who were between 5 and 14 years of age in visual spatial integration by using a contour detection task with Gabor-based stimuli.…”

Perceptual grouping and distance estimates in typical and atypical development: Comparing performance across perception, drawing and construction tasks

“…Enns, Burack, Iarocci, Randolph, 2000;Kimchi, Hadad, Behrmann, Palmer, 2005;Porporino, Shore, Iarocci, Burack, 2004). As such, it is possible that the influence of perceptual grouping on performance is dependent on the task demands.…”

Components of the Language-Ready Brain

“…Now, one of the peculiarities of the Neanderthal/Denisovan skull is the so-called Neanderthal bun, a bump on the occipital part of the skull, corresponding to the primary visual cortex (V5, Brodmann area 17). While there is clearly more to conceptualization than perception, it is hard not to link the change in human conceptualization to the specificity of human perceptual preference for global processing of visual scenes (Navon, 1977;Kimschi et al, 2005) as opposed to non-human primate perceptual preference for local processing (Fagot and Deruelle, 1997;Fagot et al, , 2001. It is not impossible that the reorganization assumed by Boeckx and Benítez-Burraco also concerned the occipital area with capital consequences on visual preferences in modern humans, leading to improved conceptualization.…”