Rules of Perceptual Organization

Rules of Perceptual Organization

Closure

Closure occurs when we create a complete, whole-object perception in our minds of an object that we see as incomplete.

Here, we perceive this set of black dots/splotches that are moving as a Dalmatian running. Why? This is because of closure. There isn't actually a dog there, but our minds will "connect the dots" of this image and turn these dots into what we see as a dog running.

Continuity

Continuity is the law that displays the concept of perceiving smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones.

When we look at an X, we don't see two greater than and less than signs, we see two straight lines that cut across one another. Even though both patterns form the same shape, we perceive the lines because they are continuous.

Similarity

Similarity is when we group figures that are similar together, rather than dissimilar figures together.

  

In this image we see circles and squares. However, because of the perception law of similarity, we group the squares together and the circles together. This creates the perception of a cross created by squares in the center, outlined by the circles. This image will take precedence over all other perceptions, such as seeing 5 distinct horizontal or vertical lines, because of the law of similarity.

Proximity

Proximity occurs when we tend to group nearby figures together.

In the picture above, we are likely to perceive two groups of four black squares, instead of eight individual black squares. This is because the gap in between the two "pairs" of four squares makes us group the closest black squares together.

Figure-Ground Perception

Our first perceptual task is to perceive any figure as distinct from its surroundings, called the ground. Thus, figure-ground perception is the organization of the visual field into figures that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).

The image above can be perceived in two different ways. For example, if you perceive the black as the surrounding (ground), you will see a vase. However, if you perceive the white as the surrounding (ground), then you will see two faces.