Perception of illusory contours in children and adults: An eye-tracking study

The eye-tracking study investigated the perception of subjective Kanizsa and Ehrenstein figures in adults and in children aged 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-11 years of age. More specifically, the distribution of looking at the inner stimulus part versus the inducing elements was measured for illusory figures, figures with real contours, and control displays. It was hypothesized that longer looking at the inner area of the illusory figures indicates global contour interpolation, whereas longer looking at the inducing elements indicates a local processing mode. According to the results, participants of all ages looked longer at the illusory Kanizsa and Ehrenstein contours than at the figures' inducing elements. However, performance was lowest in the children aged 3-4 years and increased during the preschool period. Moreover, the illusory contour displays elicited comparable visual responses as did the real contour displays. The use of the control displays that contained no contour information ensured that the participants' looking behavior was not driven by a spontaneous tendency to attend to the inner stimulus parts. The study confirms the view that sensitivity to illusory contours emerges very early in life.