Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Gestalt Principles of Perception01:21

Gestalt Principles of Perception

1.0K
Gestalt principles provide a framework for understanding how humans perceive objects as unified wholes within their context. These principles are essential in explaining the cognitive processes that make sense of complex visual stimuli by organizing them into coherent groups. One fundamental principle is proximity, which posits that objects located close to each other are perceived as a collective group. For instance, when dots are positioned near one another, the visual system interprets them...
1.0K
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision01:15

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

1.8K
Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.
1.8K
Visual Agnosia01:12

Visual Agnosia

920
Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round...
920
Vision01:24

Vision

59.3K
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
59.3K
Visual System01:26

Visual System

1.6K
Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
1.6K
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

9.4K
The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle...
9.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Initial organization and progressive expansion of the math-responsive brain network during the first school years.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Impact of Education and Music Training on the Development of Abstract Thinking in the First Years of Schooling.

Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science·2026
Same author

Disentangling hierarchical and sequential computations during sentence processing.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same author

Representations of geometric shapes have syntactic structure.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same author

Individual Brain Charting: fifth release of high-resolution fMRI data for cognitive mapping.

Scientific data·2026
Same author

Comparing Geometric Shape Representations in Humans and Baboons: A Language of Thought Perspective.

Topics in cognitive science·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Author Spotlight: Assessment of Visual Acuity in Central Vision Loss Through Motion-Based Peripheral Vision Testing
06:25

Author Spotlight: Assessment of Visual Acuity in Central Vision Loss Through Motion-Based Peripheral Vision Testing

Published on: February 23, 2024

1.1K

Sensitivity to Geometric Shape Regularity Emerges Independently of Vision.

Andrea Adriano1, Mathias Sablé-Meyer1,2,3, Lorenzo Ciccione1,2

  • 1Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin center, Gif/Yvette, France.

Open Mind : Discoveries in Cognitive Science
|November 17, 2025
PubMed
Summary

The geometric regularity effect, where regular shapes are easier to process, is present in blind individuals. This suggests that the ability to perceive geometric regularity develops independently of vision.

Keywords:
blindnessgeometryshape perceptiontactile perception

More Related Videos

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments
05:39

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments

Published on: March 18, 2019

5.5K
Investigating the Effect of Visual Imagery and Learning Shape-Audio Regularities on Bouba and Kiki
07:31

Investigating the Effect of Visual Imagery and Learning Shape-Audio Regularities on Bouba and Kiki

Published on: September 13, 2019

10.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Author Spotlight: Assessment of Visual Acuity in Central Vision Loss Through Motion-Based Peripheral Vision Testing
06:25

Author Spotlight: Assessment of Visual Acuity in Central Vision Loss Through Motion-Based Peripheral Vision Testing

Published on: February 23, 2024

1.1K
Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments
05:39

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments

Published on: March 18, 2019

5.5K
Investigating the Effect of Visual Imagery and Learning Shape-Audio Regularities on Bouba and Kiki
07:31

Investigating the Effect of Visual Imagery and Learning Shape-Audio Regularities on Bouba and Kiki

Published on: September 13, 2019

10.5K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • The geometric regularity effect demonstrates humans' ability to process regular quadrilaterals more easily than irregular shapes.
  • This effect is linked to an abstract amodal language-of-thought (LoT) supporting symbolic representation and mathematical abilities.
  • Previous research found this effect in humans but not non-human primates, suggesting a unique human cognitive capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the geometric regularity effect is present in congenitally blind individuals.
  • To test the hypothesis that geometric regularity perception is independent of visual input.
  • To explore the role of abstract amodal representations in shape perception across sensory modalities.

Main Methods:

  • A tactile version of the visual quadrilateral intruder task was administered to congenitally blind and sighted (blindfolded) adults.
  • Participants identified a deviant tactile shape among similar shapes and rated their confidence.
  • Performance was analyzed to identify a geometric regularity effect in both groups.

Main Results:

  • Both blind and sighted participants exhibited a geometric regularity effect in the tactile domain.
  • The effect in blind participants correlated with previous findings in the visual domain.
  • A symbolic language-of-thought (LoT) model better predicted blind participants' performance than a visual convolutional neural network (CNN) model.

Conclusions:

  • The geometric regularity effect develops and persists in the absence of vision.
  • This finding supports the hypothesis of an abstract, amodal representational system underlying geometric perception.
  • Geometric regularity perception is a fundamental human ability not solely reliant on visual experience.