FIGURE 17.18a Relative height We perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away. Because we assume the lower part of a figure-ground illustration is closer, we perceive it as figure (Vecera et al., 2002). Invert this illustration and the black will become ground, like a night sky.

Image courtesy of Shaun P. Vecera, Ph.D., adapted from stimuli that appeared in Vecera et al. 2002