Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
Published on: April 16, 2014
Object perception and masking: contributions of sides and convexities
Frédéric J A M Poirier1, Hugh R Wilson
1Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, 90, avenue Vincent-d'Indy, Montréal, QUE, Canada. frederic.poirier@umontreal.ca
Abstract:
Object perception uses a variety of visual cues, including shape cues derived from sides and convexities. Two recent masking studies using radial frequency patterns have argued, respectively, for a predominant role of convexity [Habak, C., Wilkinson, F., Zakher, B., & Wilson, H. R. (2004). Curvature population coding for complex shapes in human vision. Vision Research, 44 (24), 2815-2823] or side information [Hess, R. F., Wang, Y. -Z., & Dakin, S. C. (1999). Are judgements of circularity local or global? Vision Research, 39, 4354-4360]. Here we resolve the controversy by separating the masks into their parts (e.g., convexities and sides), and measuring the relative masking influences of the different mask components. We found that both side and convexity information contribute to masking. However, masking due to side information was much less dependent on alignment compared to masking due to convexities. This supports a theory where convexities constitute a prime source of information for shape processing, and sides do also contribute but to a smaller extent.
Related Concept Videos
Gestalt Principles of Perception
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision
Perceptual Constancy
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...
Masking and Demasking Agents
There are many masking agents, such as cyanide, fluoride, triethanolamine, thiourea, and 2,3-bis(sulfanyl)propan-1-ol (formerly 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol), with the masking agent chosen based on the metal...
Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Parallel Processing

