Changes in area affect figure–ground assignment in pigeons

Leyre Castro; Olga F Lazareva; Shaun P Vecera; Edward A Wasserman

doi:10.1016/j.visres.2009.12.016

Back

Changes in area affect figure–ground assignment in pigeons

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Changes in area affect figure–ground assignment in pigeons

Leyre Castro, Olga F Lazareva, Shaun P Vecera and Edward A Wasserman

Vision research (Oxford), Vol.50(5), pp.497-508

2010

DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2009.12.016

PMCID: PMC2826607

PMID: 20060406

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2009.12.016View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

A critical cue for figure–ground assignment in humans is area: smaller regions are more likely to be perceived as figures than are larger regions. To see if pigeons are similarly sensitive to this cue, we trained birds to report whether a target appeared on a colored figure or on a differently colored background. The initial training figure was either smaller than (Experiments 1 and 2) or the same area as (Experiment 2) the background. After training, we increased or decreased the size of the figure. When the original training shape was smaller than the background, pigeons’ performance improved with smaller figures (and worsened with larger figures); when the original training shape was the same area as the background, pigeons’ performance worsened when they were tested with smaller figures. A smaller figural region appeared to improve the figure–ground discrimination only when size was a relevant cue in the initial discrimination.

Size effects

Figure–ground assignment

Visual discrimination

Pigeons

Details

Title: Subtitle: Changes in area affect figure–ground assignment in pigeons
Creators: Leyre Castro - E11 Seashore Hall, Department of Psychology, The University of Iowa, United States
Olga F Lazareva - 316 Olin Hall, Department of Psychology, Drake University, Des Moines, IA 50310, United States
Shaun P Vecera - E11 Seashore Hall, Department of Psychology, The University of Iowa, United States
Edward A Wasserman - E11 Seashore Hall, Department of Psychology, The University of Iowa, United States
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Vision research (Oxford), Vol.50(5), pp.497-508
DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2009.12.016
PMID: 20060406
PMCID: PMC2826607
NLM abbreviation: Vision Res
ISSN: 0042-6989
eISSN: 1878-5646
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100000025, name: National Institute of Mental Health, award: MH47313; DOI: 10.13039/100000053, name: National Eye Institute, award: EY19781
Language: English
Date published: 2010
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984066394802771

Metrics

13 Record Views

10 Times Cited - Web of Science