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

Estimation of the Physical Quantities01:05

Estimation of the Physical Quantities

7.2K
On many occasions, physicists, other scientists, and engineers need to make estimates of a particular quantity. These are sometimes referred to as guesstimates, order-of-magnitude approximations, back-of-the-envelope calculations, or Fermi calculations. The physicist Enrico Fermi was famous for his ability to estimate various kinds of data with surprising precision. Estimating does not mean guessing a number or a formula at random. Instead, estimation means using prior experience and sound...
7.2K
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

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Pretending Not to Know Reveals a Capacity for Model-Based Self-Simulation.

Psychological science·2026
Same author

"Core Perception": Re-imagining Precocious Reasoning as Sophisticated Perceiving.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2025
Same author

Event-based warping: A relative distortion of time within events.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2025
Same author

The psychophysics of style.

Nature human behaviour·2025
Same author

Is visual perception WEIRD? The Müller-Lyer illusion and the cultural byproduct hypothesis.

Psychological review·2025
Same author

Sensitivity to visual features in inattentional blindness.

eLife·2025
Same journal

Auditory selective attention in depth: Investigating directional dependency across front, lateral, and rear spaces.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Dissociations between stereoacuity and visual acuity with binocular night vision goggles.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Reward-based prioritization and perceptual feature effects on attentional flexibility in working memory.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Listeners near-optimally integrate acoustic and semantic cues in spoken word recognition: Evidence from experiments manipulating cue order and reliability.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Modulation of perceived time caused by stimulus clarity in object recognition.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Effects of prediction and attention on tactile precision in somatosensory gating.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
See all related articles
  1. Home
  3. Part-whole Effects In Visual Number Estimation.
  1. Home
  3. Part-whole Effects In Visual Number Estimation.

Related Experiment Video

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
13:00

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

10.3K

Part-whole effects in visual number estimation.

Chenxiao Guan1,2, David Schwitzgebel3,4, Chaz Firestone3

  • 1Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China. chenxiaoguan@zju.edu.cn.

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|January 8, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Visual perception of numerosity is influenced by part-whole relationships. Easily combinable objects are perceived as fewer, demonstrating that the brain considers potential wholes when estimating quantity.

Keywords:
ANSApproximate number systemPerceptionPossibilityShapeVisual relations

More Related Videos

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
07:12

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

864
Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
07:36

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

16.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
13:00

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

10.3K
Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
07:12

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

864
Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
07:36

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

16.3K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Visual Perception
  • Numerical Cognition

Background:

  • Human ability to perceive numerosity is fundamental.
  • Previous research focused on discrete, bounded objects.
  • The role of part-whole relationships in numerosity estimation was unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if visual numerosity perception is affected by part-whole relations.
  • To determine if easily combinable objects are perceived as less numerous.

Main Methods:

  • Participants viewed brief displays of noncontiguous "puzzle-piece" stimuli.
  • Stimuli were presented in pairs that could or could not efficiently combine.
  • Participants reported which display contained more pieces.

Main Results:

  • Displays with combinable pieces were consistently underestimated in numerosity compared to noncombinable pieces.
  • This effect persisted even when participants were trained to count individual pieces.
  • The findings suggest a bias towards perceiving potential wholes over individual parts.

Conclusions:

  • Visual numerosity estimation is sensitive to object compositionality.
  • The brain automatically considers how parts can form wholes when assessing quantity.
  • This challenges the assumption of counting only discrete, bounded individuals.