Abstract The Gestalt phenomena of grouping in space and in space-time (proximity, similarity, goo... 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 Kubo... 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 cornersto... 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 mea... 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... 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 percept... 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 star... 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 eit... 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. Da... 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 hysteresi... 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... 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 ... 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... 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 th... 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 th... 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 ... 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 pe... 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 w... 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 contr... 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... 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.
Abstract The Gestalt phenomena of grouping in space and in space-time (proximity, similarity, goo... 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 Kubo... 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 cornersto... 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 mea... 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... 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 percept... 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 star... 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 eit... 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. Da... 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 hysteresi... 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... 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 ... 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... 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 th... 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 th... 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 ... 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 pe... 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 w... 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 contr... 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... 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.
Uploads
Papers by Michael Kubovy