Chapter 1. Contour Deletion

1.1 Introduction

Cognitive Tool Kit
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Contour Deletion

Irving Biederman is best known for his recognition-by-components (RBC) theory of recognition performance. He theorized that individuals store what he refers to as “geometric ions,” or “geons.” These are the building blocks of all the 3-D objects that we encounter in our world. Biederman states that whenever we see a complex object, we identify it by identifying its parts or geons. His RBC theory postulates that there are 36 geons that, in various combinations, compose all of the 3-D objects in our environment. The Biederman and Cooper (1991) study replicated here is one study that provided evidence to support the RBC theory. The specific phenomenon tested by these authors is known as contour deletion.

References:

Biederman, I., & Cooper, E. E. (1991). Priming contour-deleted images: evidence for intermediate representations in visual object recognition. Cognitive Psychology, 23, 393-419.

Biederman, I. (1987). Recognition-by-components: A theory of human image interpretation. Psychological Review, 94, 115-147.

Biederman, I. & Ju, G. (1988). Surface vs. edge-based determinants of visual recognition. Cognitive Psychology, 20, 38-64.

1.2 Experiment Setup

1.3 Instructions

Instructions

You will need to press the space bar to begin the experiment. Then, you will see two sets of occluded (partially covered) images. During the first set, please identify each object by typing the name of the common object presented to you. During the second set, you will see images related to the ones shown to you in the first set. Your task is to identify the images presented to you in the second set.

1.4 Experiment

Start Experiment

1.5 Results

Results

1.6 Quiz

Quiz

Question 1.1

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
The primary independent variable was the condition of the occluded object presented during the second set.

Question 1.2

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Correct.
Incorrect.
Reaction time to identify the images in the second set was the primary dependent variable.

Question 1.3

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
Biederman and Cooper (1991) found that identical and complementary images were recognized more quickly than semantically related images.

Question 1.4

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Correct.
Incorrect.
According to Biederman, geons are the building blocks of all 3-D objects that we encounter in our world.

Question 1.5

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Correct.
Incorrect.
Biederman and Cooper (1991) examined the perceptual phenomenon known as contour deletion.