The association of assimilation and an increase in visibility in perceptual grouping

King, Donald L.; Phillips, Walton; Mose, Jacqueline F.

doi:10.1007/bf00571097

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For example, evidence produced by Coren and Girgus (1980) suggests that two relatively proximal dots both group and assimilate in spatial location. A perceived straight line (group) or an approximation of one is also associated with assimilation (King, 1988c;King, Phillips, & Mose, 1995).…”

Section: Traditional Assimilationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grouping and Assimilation in Perception, Memory, and Conditioning

King

2001

Review of General Psychology

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A group-assimilation theory hypothesizes that a Gestalt-like group is associated with assimilation among the parts of the group. Assimilation is an increase in the perceived or sensed similarity of 1 part to a 2nd part. Assimilation occurs for traditional parts such as color but also occurs for salience. The theory accounts for key outcomes in perception, memory, and conditioning. An important hypothesis is that traditional assimilation and salience assimilation tend to have opposing effects on identification. The traditional assimilation of a target to a 2nd part frequently impairs the target's identification. In contrast, the assimilation of a less salient target to a more salient 2nd part increases the salience of the target and thus improves the target's identification. The corresponding hypothesis that 2 groups are associated with contrast between those parts that belong to different groups is also considered.

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Section: Traditional Assimilationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grouping and Assimilation in Perception, Memory, and Conditioning

King

2001

Review of General Psychology

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“…Support for this position includes evidence of a group-assimilation association for several types of parts (e.g., Fuchs, 1967Fuchs, /1923King, 1988a), including when the stimulus is brief or responding is speeded (King, 1988b;Prinzmetal & Keysar, 1989). Additionally, a group is associated with an ID of at least one of its parts (King, Hicks, & Brown, 1993), including when an objective closure-division indicant of the strength of a group is used (King et al, 1995b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…ID-as-assimilation theory derives from the lgroupassimilation-ID position that one group is associated with assimilation among its parts and an increase in the detectability of some of these parts (King et al, 1995a;King, Phillips, & Mose, 1995b). A group is the phenomenal, apprehended whole (event) that Gestalt psychologists emphasize.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Immediately preceding stimuli increase the detection of a less detectable but not a more detectable stimulus

1996

Psychol. Res

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Both a small (S) and a large (L) stimulus occurred individually and randomly over trials. The task was to make the same speeded response to either stimulus. LSSS sequences on trials N-3, N-2, N-1, and N, respectively, resulted in a faster RT to S on trial N than to S on trial N-2. However, SLLL sequences did not produce a corresponding increase in detection. Also, overall, S was less detectable than L. Suppose that the physical S on trial N was lower in detectability-memorability than a memorial S produced by S on the immediately preceding trials N-1 and N-2. If so, the physical S may have assimilated in detectability-memorability to the memorial S. explaining why its detectability increased. In contrast, the physical L may have been sufficiently high in detectability-memorability to preclude a comparable assimilation. The theory: assimilation underlies detectability, regardless of whether two components are both physical (previous research), or whether one is physical and the other is memorial (the present research).

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A dotted line assimilates in visibility to a solid line

1996

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This study tested the theory that a context-produced increase in visibility of a target is due to its assimilation in visibility to the context. A context + target and a context are discriminated better than are a target and background. This occurs for two different context + targets in which the context is a solid line and the target is a dotted line. But it does not occur when solid lines replace these dotted lines. The dotted lines are much less visible than the solid lines. Therefore, the dotted lines increase in similarity in visibility to the solid lines, which is assimilation, but for visibility, rather than for a typical part. Assimilation does not occur between perceptually equal parts. Consequently, the reason why the two context + targets with only solid lines do not result in increases in visibility may be that these lines are sufficiently equal in visibility that assimilation in visibility is precluded. So, the theory is supported. This theory is consistent with evidence that one group (phenomenal whole) is associated with both assimilation and an increase in visibility. Accordingly, a stimulus with a relatively large distance between its solid and dotted lines is apprehended as a relatively weak group, and does not result in an increase in visibility.

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The association of assimilation and an increase in visibility in perceptual grouping

Cited by 12 publications

References 36 publications

Grouping and Assimilation in Perception, Memory, and Conditioning

Grouping and Assimilation in Perception, Memory, and Conditioning

Immediately preceding stimuli increase the detection of a less detectable but not a more detectable stimulus

A dotted line assimilates in visibility to a solid line

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