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Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
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Compositionality in visual perception.

Alon Hafri1, E J Green2, Chaz Firestone3

  • 1Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA. alon@udel.edu; https://pal.lingcogsci.udel.edu/.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study supports the Language of Thought Hypothesis (LoTH), showing that visual perception uses abstract, structured representations. Vision is compositional, with discrete elements combining systematically, impacting how it connects to cognition.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • The Language of Thought Hypothesis (LoTH) proposes that thought is a system of symbolic representations.
  • Previous research has debated whether visual perception also relies on such abstract, structured formats.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide evidence supporting the Language of Thought Hypothesis in the domain of visual perception.
  • To demonstrate that visual representations are compositional, akin to linguistic structures.
  • To explore the cognitive implications of compositional visual representations.

Main Methods:

  • Review and synthesis of existing evidence on visual representation.
  • Theoretical analysis of compositionality in visual perception.
  • Exploration of the interface between vision and other cognitive faculties.

Main Results:

  • Vision employs abstract, structured representational formats, consistent with the LoTH.
  • Visual representations exhibit compositionality, with discrete constituents combining systematically.
  • Evidence is amassed to extend the proposal of compositional visual representations.

Conclusions:

  • Visual perception is compositional, mirroring the structure of language.
  • The findings support a unified view of mental representation across different cognitive domains.
  • Understanding compositional vision is key to understanding its interface with the broader mind.