Michael Kubovy
University of Virginia, Psychology, Faculty Member
Abstract The Gestalt phenomena of grouping in space and in space-time (proximity, similarity, good continuation, common fate, apparent motion and so on) are an essential foundation of perception. Yet they have remained fairly vague,... more
Abstract The Gestalt phenomena of grouping in space and in space-time (proximity, similarity, good continuation, common fate, apparent motion and so on) are an essential foundation of perception. Yet they have remained fairly vague, experimentally intractable, and unquantified. We describe progress we made in the quest for clarity, lawfulness and precision in the formulation of these phenomena. Keywords: gestalt, grouping, proximity, similarity, good continuation, common fate, apparent motion, motion perception, space, time
Page 1. Seeing Music: Do We Hear Silent Gestures? Michael Schutz schutz@virginia.edu Michael Kubovy kubovy@virginia.edu Department of Psychology University of Virginia 102 Gilmer Hall Charlottesville, VA 22902 Popular version of paper... more
Page 1. Seeing Music: Do We Hear Silent Gestures? Michael Schutz schutz@virginia.edu Michael Kubovy kubovy@virginia.edu Department of Psychology University of Virginia 102 Gilmer Hall Charlottesville, VA 22902 Popular version of paper 3pPP4. Vision influences judgments of acoustic duration Presented Wednesday June 6th, 2007 153rd ASA Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT Introduction Are gestures--body movements--really part of a musical performance? Where does music exist?
ABSTRACT The proximity principle is a fundamental fact of spatial vision. It has been a cornerstone of the Gestalt approach to perception, it is supported by overwhelming empirical evidence, and its utility has been proven in studies of... more
ABSTRACT The proximity principle is a fundamental fact of spatial vision. It has been a cornerstone of the Gestalt approach to perception, it is supported by overwhelming empirical evidence, and its utility has been proven in studies of the ecological statistics of optical stimulation. We show, however, that the principle does not generalize to dynamic scenes, ie, no spatiotemporal proximity principle governs the perception of motion.
Research News coincident boundaries (Fig. 2, top) fell in the region of module synergy���this means that when the modules receive consistent information, they operate in synergy. The detectability for parallel and orthogonal boundaries... more
Research News coincident boundaries (Fig. 2, top) fell in the region of module synergy���this means that when the modules receive consistent information, they operate in synergy. The detectability for parallel and orthogonal boundaries fell below the region of module synergy���this means that when the modules receive inconsistent information, they operate antagonistically. The findings from boundary-localization experiments confirm this pattern of interaction. Thus, our data show that the form and color modules interact.
Abstract Contrary to the predictions of established theory, Schutz and Lipscomb (2007) have shown that visual information can influence the perceived duration of concurrent sounds. In the present study, we deconstruct the visual component... more
Abstract Contrary to the predictions of established theory, Schutz and Lipscomb (2007) have shown that visual information can influence the perceived duration of concurrent sounds. In the present study, we deconstruct the visual component of their illusion, showing that (1) cross-modal influence depends on visible cues signaling an impact event (namely, a sudden change of direction concurrent with tone onset) and (2) the illusion is controlled primarily by the duration of post-impact motion.
Abstract We studied pre-and post-stimulus scalp-recorded electrical brain activity during perceptual grouping. Observers reported the orientations of perceived dot groupings in multistable dot lattices. We varied lattice ambiguity and... more
Abstract We studied pre-and post-stimulus scalp-recorded electrical brain activity during perceptual grouping. Observers reported the orientations of perceived dot groupings in multistable dot lattices. We varied lattice ambiguity and orientation. Observer reports showed a bias for vertical orientation. This bias was reflected in the cortical alpha activity before stimulus onset: the tendency to see vertical groupings corresponded to low pre-stimulus alpha power.
Abstract In 1912, Max Wertheimer published his paper on phi motion, widely recognized as the start of Gestalt psychology. Because of its continued relevance in modern psychology, this centennial anniversary is an excellent opportunity to... more
Abstract In 1912, Max Wertheimer published his paper on phi motion, widely recognized as the start of Gestalt psychology. Because of its continued relevance in modern psychology, this centennial anniversary is an excellent opportunity to take stock of what Gestalt psychology has offered and how it has changed since its inception. We first introduce the key findings and ideas in the Berlin school of Gestalt psychology, and then briefly sketch its development, rise, and fall.
Abstract. Julesz has shown that cross-correlations between two patterns that appear random to either eye alone can give rise to the perception of form and depth when viewed stereoscopically. We produced auditory analogs by presenting... more
Abstract. Julesz has shown that cross-correlations between two patterns that appear random to either eye alone can give rise to the perception of form and depth when viewed stereoscopically. We produced auditory analogs by presenting eight simultaneous and continuous sine waves to both ears and by either phaseshifting or frequency-shifting one of them relative to its counterpart in the opposite ear. Particular tones were shifted in sequence such that a melody was heard which was undetectable by either ear alone.
Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by difficulty with the timing of movements. Data collected using the synchronization���continuation paradigm, an established motor timing paradigm, have produced varying results but with... more
Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by difficulty with the timing of movements. Data collected using the synchronization���continuation paradigm, an established motor timing paradigm, have produced varying results but with most studies finding impairment.
Perceptual multistability has often been explained using the concepts of adaptation and hysteresis. In this paper we show that effects that would typically be accounted for by adaptation and hysteresis can be explained without assuming... more
Perceptual multistability has often been explained using the concepts of adaptation and hysteresis. In this paper we show that effects that would typically be accounted for by adaptation and hysteresis can be explained without assuming the existence of dedicated mechanisms for adaptation and hysteresis. Instead, our data suggest that perceptual multistability reveals lasting states of the visual system rather than changes in the system caused by stimulation.
Neuhoff (in press) has criticized Kubovy's (1981) Theory of Indispensable Attributes (TIA), which is the one of the building blocks of Kubovy and Van Valkenburg's (2001) theory of auditory objecthood. Specifically, he claims that... more
Neuhoff (in press) has criticized Kubovy's (1981) Theory of Indispensable Attributes (TIA), which is the one of the building blocks of Kubovy and Van Valkenburg's (2001) theory of auditory objecthood. Specifically, he claims that (1)���simple frequency separation does not ensure the formation of auditory objects��� and that (2)���frequency variation is not a necessary condition for auditory figure-ground relationships���. Neuhoff is not the first to criticize TIA.
Abstract 1. We perceive structure through a process of perceptual organization. Here we report a new perceptual organization phenomenon���the facilitation of visual grouping by global curvature. Observers viewed patterns that they... more
Abstract 1. We perceive structure through a process of perceptual organization. Here we report a new perceptual organization phenomenon���the facilitation of visual grouping by global curvature. Observers viewed patterns that they perceived as organized into collections of curves. The patterns were perceptually ambiguous such that the perceived orientation of the patterns varied from trial to trial.
Abstract Viewed from the center of projection, a perspective picture presents the pictorial depth information of a scene. Knowing the center of projection, one can reconstruct the depicted scene. Assuming another viewpoint is the center... more
Abstract Viewed from the center of projection, a perspective picture presents the pictorial depth information of a scene. Knowing the center of projection, one can reconstruct the depicted scene. Assuming another viewpoint is the center of projection will cause one to reconstruct a transformed scene. Despite these transformations, we appreciate pictures from other viewpoints.
Abstract 1. Schutz and Lipscomb (2007) reported an audiovisual illusion in which the length of the gesture used to produce a sound altered the perception of that sound's duration. This contradicts the widely accepted claim that the... more
Abstract 1. Schutz and Lipscomb (2007) reported an audiovisual illusion in which the length of the gesture used to produce a sound altered the perception of that sound's duration. This contradicts the widely accepted claim that the auditory system generally dominates temporal tasks because of its superior temporal acuity. Here, in the first of 4 experiments, we show that impact gestures influence duration ratings of percussive but not sustained sounds.
Abstract: Shepard has supposed that the mind is stocked with innate knowledge of the world and that this knowledge figures prominently in the way we see the world. According to him, this internal knowledge is the legacy of a process of... more
Abstract: Shepard has supposed that the mind is stocked with innate knowledge of the world and that this knowledge figures prominently in the way we see the world. According to him, this internal knowledge is the legacy of a process of internalization; a process of natural selection over the evolutionary history of the species. Shepard has developed his proposal most fully in his analysis of the relation between kinematic geometry and the shape of the motion path in apparent motion displays.
Julesz has shown that cross���correlations between two patterns that appear random to either eye alone can give rise to the perception of form and depth when viewed stereoscopically. We produced auditory analogs by presenting eight... more
Julesz has shown that cross���correlations between two patterns that appear random to either eye alone can give rise to the perception of form and depth when viewed stereoscopically. We produced auditory analogs by presenting eight simultaneous and continuous sine waves to both ears and by either phase���shifting or frequency~ shifting one sine wave relative to its counterpart in the opposite ear.
Perceptual organization lies on the border between our experience of the world and unconscious perceptual processing. It is dif���cult to study because it involves both bottom-up and top-down processes and because it is���like... more
Perceptual organization lies on the border between our experience of the world and unconscious perceptual processing. It is dif���cult to study because it involves both bottom-up and top-down processes and because it is���like respiration���a semivoluntary process. For example, when we ���rst glance at a Necker cube, we usually see a cube below eye level. Over this response we have no control; it is spontaneous and automatic.
We agree, and argue that humans are by nature credulous realists; they trust their senses, even when such trust is unwarranted. We wish to understand the conditions under which we become aware that we have experienced an illusion, and the... more
We agree, and argue that humans are by nature credulous realists; they trust their senses, even when such trust is unwarranted. We wish to understand the conditions under which we become aware that we have experienced an illusion, and the consequences of such an awareness.
ABSTRACT Percussionists have long disagreed whether it is possible to use gesture length to control note duration on the marimba when other factors (angle of attack, mallet placement, mallet speed, etc.) are held constant. Some... more
ABSTRACT Percussionists have long disagreed whether it is possible to use gesture length to control note duration on the marimba when other factors (angle of attack, mallet placement, mallet speed, etc.) are held constant. Some percussionists such as Buster Bailey feel gesture length can control note length, whereas others, such as Leigh Howard Stevens, contend that gesture length 'has no more to do with [note] duration than the sound of a car crashing is dependent on how long a road trip was taken before the accident'.
Abstract We studied the speed with which observers could detect symmetry in drawings that incorpo-rated symmetric contours���related by re���ection or translation���within single objects or across different objects. We asked observers to... more
Abstract We studied the speed with which observers could detect symmetry in drawings that incorpo-rated symmetric contours���related by re���ection or translation���within single objects or across different objects. We asked observers to perform a speeded decision whether pairs of contours are the same, ie, related by re���ection or by translation, or different. When the contours belong to a single object, observers are faster to see the relation between contours when they are related by re���ection than by translation.
Symmetry properties have been shown to determine the perceived complexity of certain patterns. We used a paired-comparison method to obtain judgments of relative complexity for a family of two-dimensional regular patterns called band... more
Symmetry properties have been shown to determine the perceived complexity of certain patterns. We used a paired-comparison method to obtain judgments of relative complexity for a family of two-dimensional regular patterns called band patterns. Although the complexity of these patterns is well predicted by their symmetry properties we were unable to explain an interaction observed between two of these properties for our experimental patterns.
ABSTRACT Although visual information affects auditory perception in a variety of tasks, audition is generally believed to be relatively immune from visual influence when judging tone duration. However, Schutz and Lipscomb (2007) report a... more
ABSTRACT Although visual information affects auditory perception in a variety of tasks, audition is generally believed to be relatively immune from visual influence when judging tone duration. However, Schutz and Lipscomb (2007) report a musical illusion in which physical gestures influence the perceived duration of notes performed on the marimba.
Abstract. Julesz has shown that cross-correlations between two patterns that appear random to either eye alone can give rise to the perception of form and depth when viewed stereoscopically. We produced auditory analogs by presenting... more
Abstract. Julesz has shown that cross-correlations between two patterns that appear random to either eye alone can give rise to the perception of form and depth when viewed stereoscopically. We produced auditory analogs by presenting eight simultaneous and continuous sine waves to both ears-and by either phaseshifting or frequency-shifting one of them relative to its counterpart in the opposite ear. Particular tones were shifted in sequence such that a melody was heard which was undetectable by either ear alone.
Abstract In this paper we offer a theory of cross-modal objects. To begin, we discuss two kinds of linkages between vision and audition. The first is a duality. The the visual system detects and identifies surfaces; the auditory system... more
Abstract In this paper we offer a theory of cross-modal objects. To begin, we discuss two kinds of linkages between vision and audition. The first is a duality. The the visual system detects and identifies surfaces; the auditory system detects and identifies sources. Surfaces are illuminated by sources of light; sound is reflected off surfaces. However, the visual system discounts sources and the auditory system discounts surfaces.
Abstract It is natural to think that in perceiving dynamic scenes, vision takes a series of snapshots. Motion perception can ensue when the snapshots are different. The snapshot metaphor suggests two questions:(i) How does the visual... more
Abstract It is natural to think that in perceiving dynamic scenes, vision takes a series of snapshots. Motion perception can ensue when the snapshots are different. The snapshot metaphor suggests two questions:(i) How does the visual system put together elements within each snapshot to form objects? This is the spatial grouping problem.(ii) When the snapshots are different, how does the visual system know which element in one snapshot corresponds to which element in the next? This is the temporal grouping problem.
Abstract The purpose of this work is to describe how the visual system groups surfaces of unequal lightness under complex patterns of illumination. We propose that the Gestalt principle of Grouping by Regularity explains this process... more
Abstract The purpose of this work is to describe how the visual system groups surfaces of unequal lightness under complex patterns of illumination. We propose that the Gestalt principle of Grouping by Regularity explains this process better than the more often cited principle of Grouping by Similarity. In our first experiment we demonstrate that in a perceptual organization task, pitting proximity against illumination gradients, discounting the illuminant was contingent upon the periodicity of the illuminant.
Studies in motor timing have shown that the basal ganglia and cerebellum play an important role in temporal processing. Timing studies in Cerebellar/ataxic Disorders (CD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) patients contrast the roles of the... more
Studies in motor timing have shown that the basal ganglia and cerebellum play an important role in temporal processing. Timing studies in Cerebellar/ataxic Disorders (CD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) patients contrast the roles of the cerebellum and basal ganglia in motor timing. Here, we used a synchronization���continuation task to compare accuracy and variability of motor timing during repetitive tapping.
Abstract Neural systems face the challenge of optimizing their performance with limited resources, just as economic systems do. Here, we use tools of neoclassical economic theory to explore how a frugal visual system should use a limited... more
Abstract Neural systems face the challenge of optimizing their performance with limited resources, just as economic systems do. Here, we use tools of neoclassical economic theory to explore how a frugal visual system should use a limited number of neurons to optimize perception of motion. The theory prescribes that vision should allocate its resources to different conditions of stimulation according to the degree of balance between measurement uncertainties and stimulus uncertainties.
Abstract Visual apparent motion is the experience of motion from the successive stimulation of separate spatial locations. How spatial and temporal distances interact to determine the strength of apparent motion has been controversial.... more
Abstract Visual apparent motion is the experience of motion from the successive stimulation of separate spatial locations. How spatial and temporal distances interact to determine the strength of apparent motion has been controversial. Some studies report space���time coupling: If we increase spatial or temporal distance between successive stimuli, we must also increase the other distance between them to maintain a constant strength of apparent motion (Korte's third law of motion).
Abstract 1. The authors conducted 3 experiments to explore the roles of curvature, density, and relative proximity in the perceptual organization of ambiguous dot patterns. To this end, they developed a new family of regular dot patterns... more
Abstract 1. The authors conducted 3 experiments to explore the roles of curvature, density, and relative proximity in the perceptual organization of ambiguous dot patterns. To this end, they developed a new family of regular dot patterns that tend to be perceptually grouped into parallel contours, dot-sampled structured grids (DSGs). DSGs are similar to the dot lattices used to study grouping by proximity, except that only one of the potential organizations is rectilinear; the others are curvilinear. The authors used the method of M.
The Wedding��� portrays a rustic pageant of uncommon nobility, seemingly inappropriate for a genre scene of village life in late eighteenth century Spain. An unsophisticated assembly parades beneath a mock triumphal arch; in the center... more
The Wedding��� portrays a rustic pageant of uncommon nobility, seemingly inappropriate for a genre scene of village life in late eighteenth century Spain. An unsophisticated assembly parades beneath a mock triumphal arch; in the center stands the bridal couple, preceded by a piper, and followed by the village priest who we suppose has just united them in matrimony.(p. 23)
Attention plays a central role in Pylyshyn's approach to the relation between cognition and perception. He claims that many of the effects generally attributed to the influence of cognition on early vision are actually due to the... more
Attention plays a central role in Pylyshyn's approach to the relation between cognition and perception. He claims that many of the effects generally attributed to the influence of cognition on early vision are actually due to the influence of attention on perception. We agree, but we think he has not gone far enough. He believes that attention is routinely called upon to perform the task of encoding combinations of features ��� the ���attention as glue��� hypothesis of Treisman (eg, Treisman 1988) and others (sect. 6.4).
Abstract Using a stepwise discriminant analysis, we demonstrate that the amplitude of P300 is a graded function of the complexity of information processing required of a S following a stimulus. This relationship between cognitive... more
Abstract Using a stepwise discriminant analysis, we demonstrate that the amplitude of P300 is a graded function of the complexity of information processing required of a S following a stimulus. This relationship between cognitive complexity and P300 is apparent only when the S is not pressed to generate fast and accurate discriminant responses to the stimuli. Under a reaction-time regime, a large P300 is elicited independently of stimulus predictability or cognitive complexity.
Abstract 1. In 1912, Max Wertheimer published his paper on phi motion, widely recognized as the start of Gestalt psychology. Because of its continued relevance in modern psychology, this centennial anniversary is an excellent opportunity... more
Abstract 1. In 1912, Max Wertheimer published his paper on phi motion, widely recognized as the start of Gestalt psychology. Because of its continued relevance in modern psychology, this centennial anniversary is an excellent opportunity to take stock of what Gestalt psychology has offered and how it has changed since its inception. We first introduce the key findings and ideas in the Berlin school of Gestalt psychology, and then briefly sketch its development, rise, and fall.
Abstract 1. When asked to report the 1st digit that comes to mind, a predominant number (28.4%) of 558 persons on the Yale campus chose 7. Three further experiments sought to establish whether this predominance was due to an automatic... more
Abstract 1. When asked to report the 1st digit that comes to mind, a predominant number (28.4%) of 558 persons on the Yale campus chose 7. Three further experiments sought to establish whether this predominance was due to an automatic activation process or to a deliberate choice. The 1st experiment with 237 undergraduates showed that the response pattern changed markedly (with 17.3% choosing 7) when the request was for a number between 6 and 15. The 2nd experiment showed that if 7 was mentioned by the E as an ...
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Abstract 1. Employed a numerical decision task, designed as a numerical analog of signal detection, to investigate the nature of the decision rule used for probabilistic categorization. Two conditions were compared, with 12 paid... more
Abstract 1. Employed a numerical decision task, designed as a numerical analog of signal detection, to investigate the nature of the decision rule used for probabilistic categorization. Two conditions were compared, with 12 paid volunteers participating in 6 1-hr sessions in Condition 1, and 12 participating in 3 1-hr sessions in Condition 2. In both conditions, 1 of 2 distributions of 5-digit numbers was sampled on each trial, and S was required to determine which distribution was sampled. The numbers of deviations from the best fitting static- ...
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Abstract 1. When asked to report the" 1st digit that comes to mind," 28.4% of 684 respondents chose 7 and only 2.2% chose 1. In contrast, when asked to report the" 1st 1-digit number that... more
Abstract 1. When asked to report the" 1st digit that comes to mind," 28.4% of 684 respondents chose 7 and only 2.2% chose 1. In contrast, when asked to report the" 1st 1-digit number that comes to mind," 18.0% of the respondents chose 1 and only 12.1% chose 7. Further experiments studied this phenomenon of response enhancement of availability. It was found that if the digit 1 was mentioned by the experimenter (E) as an example of a response, its frequency was much lower (5.4%) than when it was unobtrusively used by ...
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Research Interests: Technology (Film Studies), Motion perception, Spacetime Studies, Multidisciplinary, Visual Media, and 13 moreSensation and Perception, Space perception, Spatial Configuration, Humans, Visual System, Space Time, Philosophy of Spacetime, Gestalt Perception, Apparent Motion, Motion Gestalt, Theoretical Models, Time Factors, and Interaction model
Abstract 1. Conducted 3 numerical-decision experiments to examine the cause of conservation cutoff placement in probabilistic categorization decisions. 118 Ss, predominantly university students, were shown 5-digit numbers representing the... more
Abstract 1. Conducted 3 numerical-decision experiments to examine the cause of conservation cutoff placement in probabilistic categorization decisions. 118 Ss, predominantly university students, were shown 5-digit numbers representing the heights of men and women, and they responded to each observation depending on how certain they were that it represented the height of a man. Payoff matrices and prior probability levels were varied orthogonally and within Ss in each experiment. Prior probabilities had larger ...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science, Higher Education, Mental Representation, and 14 moreHandedness, Face recognition (Psychology), Learning, Humans, Form perception, Orientation, Female, Male, Mental rotation, Reaction Time, Mental processes, Stimuli, Adult, and Functional Laterality
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Mental Representation, Cognition, Face Recognition, and 18 moreAttention, Face, Comparative Study, Coding, Information Processing, Memory, Problem Solving, Humans, Judgment, Discrimination Learning, Female, Male, Reaction Time, Distortion, Adult, Harmonic Distorsion, Neurosciences, and Prototype
Perceptual organization has been synonymous with Gestalt psychology, and Gestalt psychology has fallen into disrepute. In the heyday of Behaviorism, the few cognitive psychologists of the time pursued Gestalt phenomena. But today,... more
Perceptual organization has been synonymous with Gestalt psychology, and Gestalt psychology has fallen into disrepute. In the heyday of Behaviorism, the few cognitive psychologists of the time pursued Gestalt phenomena. But today, Cognitive Psychology is married to ...
Abstract Gestalt phenomena have long resisted quantification In the spirit of Gestalt field theory, we propose a theory that predicts the probability of grouping by proximity in the six kinds of dot lattices (hexagonal, rhombic, square,... more
Abstract Gestalt phenomena have long resisted quantification In the spirit of Gestalt field theory, we propose a theory that predicts the probability of grouping by proximity in the six kinds of dot lattices (hexagonal, rhombic, square, rectangular, centered rectangular, and oblique) We claim that the unstable perceptual organization of dot lattices is caused by competing forces that attract each dot to other dots in its neighborhood We model the decline of these forces as a function of distance with an exponential decay function This ...