Constructing and representing visual objects

The objects we see are not given in the images at the eyes, but must be constructed by the human visual system. Indeed, damage to specific brain regions often leads to specific impairments of visual abilities (for example, the perception of shape, color or motion). Human vision constructs the various properties of visual objects, not independently of each other, but in a highly coordinated fashion. The construction of one visual property strongly influences the constructions of other properties. Visual shape is an important construction for successfully recognizing objects. There is growing consensus that human vision represents shapes in terms of component parts and their spatial relationships. These parts and their spatial relationships provide a powerful first index into one's visual memory of shapes.