Biomaterial Database

The repetition discrimination task: an objective method for studying perceptual grouping. 2007

Stephen E Palmer, and Diane M Beck

Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-1650, USA. palmer@cogsci.berkeley.edu

Five experiments are reported that demonstrate the use of the repetition discrimination task (RDT) to study perceptual grouping effects objectively and quantitatively. Experiments 1 and 3 validate the method by measuring grouping based on proximity, color similarity, common region, and element connectedness. Experiment 2 compares the RDT effects for proximity grouping to explicit subjective ratings of grouping strength in identical displays. Experiments 4 and 5 investigate the effects of size and orientation of surrounding ovals in displays in which competing organizations are present. In each case, the RDT produces clear, consistent patterns of response times that are consistent with predictions based on grouping. It thus represents an objective method for studying the full range of grouping phenomena originally described by Wertheimer.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009949	Orientation	Awareness of oneself in relation to time, place and person.	Cognitive Orientation,Mental Orientation,Psychological Orientation,Cognitive Orientations,Mental Orientations,Orientation, Cognitive,Orientation, Mental,Orientation, Psychological,Orientations,Orientations, Cognitive,Orientations, Mental,Orientations, Psychological,Psychological Orientations
D010364	Pattern Recognition, Visual	Mental process to visually perceive a critical number of facts (the pattern), such as characters, shapes, displays, or designs.	Recognition, Visual Pattern,Visual Pattern Recognition
D011601	Psychophysics	The science dealing with the correlation of the physical characteristics of a stimulus, e.g., frequency or intensity, with the response to the stimulus, in order to assess the psychologic factors involved in the relationship.	Psychophysic
D011930	Reaction Time	The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed.	Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D003118	Color Perception	Mental processing of chromatic signals (COLOR VISION) from the eye by the VISUAL CORTEX where they are converted into symbolic representations. Color perception involves numerous neurons, and is influenced not only by the distribution of wavelengths from the viewed object, but also by its background color and brightness contrast at its boundary.	Color Perceptions,Perception, Color,Perceptions, Color
D004193	Discrimination Learning	Learning that is manifested in the ability to respond differentially to various stimuli.	Discriminative Learning,Discrimination Learnings,Discriminative Learnings,Learning, Discrimination,Learning, Discriminative
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001288	Attention	Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating.	Focus of Attention,Selective Attention,Social Attention,Attention Focus,Attention, Selective,Attention, Social,Selective Attentions
D012691	Serial Learning	Learning to make a series of responses in exact order.	Learning, Serial,Learnings, Serial,Serial Learnings