The role of pattern goodness in the reproduction of backward masked patterns

Four experiments investigated the role of pattern goodness in backward masking using five- and four-dot patterns constructed by placing dots in the cells of a 3 x 3 matrix. In Experiment 1, subjects rated the goodness of these patterns and the results replicated previous work showing that good patterns had few alternatives. In Experiment 2, the dot patterns were the target stimuli in a backward masking task using a variety of masking stimuli. For all masking, good patterns were reproduced more accurately than poor patterns. In Experiment 3, the goodness of the masking stimulus was varied. The results indicated that good patterns were reproduced more accurately (replicating Experiment 2) and that good patterns were less effective as stimulus than were poor patterns. In Experiment 4, a long interstimulus interval which precluded masking was used to determine whether goodness affected encoding or memory. At these intervals, there were no differences among patterns, suggesting that the effect of pattern goodness was on rate of encoding. These results demonstrate the importance of configural properties in pattern perception.