Lothar Kleine-Horst:
Empiristic Theory of Visual Gestalt Perception (ETVG)
Hierarchy and Interactions of Visual Functions
Köln
2001
Contents
Preface and Introduction
1. On the aim and history of the ETVG - 2. Overview of the entire concept -
3. The first 75 years of sabotage in visual science (1925-2000) - a)
Beginning and destruction of the research on actual genesis b)
Cover-up of the sabotage of actual genesis by the German psychology establishment
4. Some similarities and differences between Berlin gestalt psychology and the ETVG - 5. The most important characteristics of the "Empiristic theory of visual gestalt perception" - 6. Those who will first receive this book.
Part 1: Theory of figure/outfield perception.
A. The functional sphere and its hierarchical structure
I. The old problem. 1. "Optical illusions"; 2. Sensory perception; 3. Gestalt perception
II. The new way to solve the problem. 1. The starting point; 2. What is a "figure"? 3. The basic model of visual gestalt perception
III. The functional hierarchy of contour factors. 1. The three-sphere-model of contour perception; 2. "Here is something bright" (Pml); 3. Brightness difference (Dm) and location difference (Dl); 4. The hierarchical relationships between Pml, Dm and Dl; 5. Lateral brightness gradient (Gml): 6. Lateral line (Ll); 7. Lateral closedness (Fl)
IV. Expanded model of gestalt perception
Summary
Part 2: Theory of figure/outfield perception.
B. Functional antagonism and phenomenal polarity
I. The bipolarity of figure quality. 1. Double perception; 2. The polarity of double perception; 3. Inhomogeneity and homogeneity; 4. Line and field; 5. Closedness and openness; figure and outfield; 6. The polarities of Pml, Dm and Dl;
II. Functional antagonism. 1.The functional structure of the figure perception system; 2. The receptive retinal areas of the gestalt factors; 3. Absolute scale and relative scale; 4. Passive and active antagonism;
III. The four phenomenal effects of a gestalt factor. 1. The "system" of phenomenal effects; 2. The two informative effects; 3. The formative effect; 4. The normative effect; 5. Relationships to other concepts of visual perception;
IV. Materiological and functionological stimulus concept
Summary
Part 3: Theory of figure/outfield perception
C. Functionological theory and neurobiological facts
I. Correspondence of Functions Hypothesis. 1. Increase in theory deficit by neurobiological facts; 2. General functionology of both the neuron and the gestalt factor; 3. Special functionology and phenomenology of the gestalt factor Pml [Shape of the receptive Pml area - The unipolarity of Pml perception - The phenomenal location of Pml-brightness - The Pml-brightness at the Pml-location]; 4. The neurobiological correlates of the Pml functions;
II. Correspondence of Levels Hypothesis
III. Correspondence of Interactions Hypothesis. 1. "Filling-in" by a "command from above"; 2. Three directions of interactions; 3. Neuronal connections between visual areas;
IV. Higher-order receptive fields
Summary
Part 4: Theory of figure/outfield perception
D. Ontogenesis of the figure factors
I. The figure factors as memory contents. 1. The Empiristic Development Hypothesis; 2. Implicit and explicit memory concepts in the literature; 3. The hierarchical process of memorization; 4. The formation of the gestalt factor Pmldt; 5. The formation of the gestalt factors Dm and Dl; 6. The formation of the gestalt factor Gml; 7. The formation of the gestalt factors Ll and Fl;
II. Empirical confirmation of the theory of ontogenesis. 1. Predictions of gaze behavior development in infants; 2. The actual development of gaze behavior in infants; 3. The development of function sensitivity
III. On the structure and function of memory. 1. The memorization and actualization of functional relationships follow the same schema; 2. Phenomenological and functionological concepts of the memorized objects; 3. The particular visual functions of single cells as memory contents;
Summary
Part 5. Theory of form perception.
A. Ontogenesis and actualization of the quantity, orientation, and form factors
I. Introduction. 1. The five systems involved in form perception; 2. The "quantity factor" (Q) 3. The contribution of the oculomotor system to perception;
II. Forming the egocentric coordinate system. 1. The gestalt factors "verticality" (V) and "horizontality" (H); 2. The "anisotropy" of space; 3.The gestalt factor "tiltedness/orientedness" (T) [The "tiltedness" aspect - The "orientedness" aspect]; 4. Overview of the factor hierarchy;
III. Forming the geometric coordinate system. 1. The gestalt factor "elongatedness/ extendedness" (E); 2. The gestalt factor "straightness" (S); 3. The gestalt factor "measurement equality" (M); 4. The gestalt factor "rectangularity/ parallelism" (R); 5. Some formative effects of the coordinate factors; 6. Experiencing the same stimulus at different levels;
IV. First empirical confirmation of the hierarchical order of the quantity, orientation, and form factors. 1. The development of the visual ability of infants according to the factors at Levels 5 to 8; 2. The hierarchical order of the factors at Levels 6 to 10 as shown in the order of difficulty for preschool children while copying given forms;
Summary
Part 6: Theory of form perception
B. Actual genesis and actual lysis of complex ico-structures, and the effect of attention
I. The complexity of ico-structures. 1. The order-level complexity of figures, and the factor- based complexity; 2. The order-level complexity of figure/outfield systems; 3. Are there yet other aspects of complexity?
II. Actual-genetic pre-percepts of a figure. 1. Wohlfahrt's discovery; 2. The actualization schema; 3. Actual genesis of the outer contour; 4. Actual genesis of the inner contours;
III. Refinement of the interpretation. 1. Further agreement of the theory with fact; 2. Actual genesis of the infield; 3. The "formless disk"; 4. The "angleless pentagon";
IV. What "is" attention? 1. Science at a loss; 2. The everyday experience of attention;
V. The role of attention in Wohlfahrt's series of pre-percepts. 1. The relationship between the development of the outer contour and the development of the inner contours; 2. The disappearance of parts of the figure;
VI. The "actual lysis" of a figure through concentrative withdrawal of attention. 1. Overview of the experiment and its results; 2. The functional effects of attention; 3. Phenomenology and order-level functionology of the actual-lytic stages; 4. Form factor functionology of the actual-lytic stages;
VII. Negative afterimages and extrasensory images. 1. Comparative phenomenology of the images; 2. Functionology of the afterimages; 3. Negative afterimages of children;
Summary
Part 7: Theory of depth, time, and motion perception
I. The lowest stages of visual perception. 1. The complete system; 2. Physical matters and physical functions; 3. The gestalt factor Pmldt; 4. The four difference factors;
II. The six gradient factors. 1. The lateral brightness gradient (Gml); 2. The lateral depth gradient (Gdl); 3. The depth brightness gradient (Gmd); 4. The temporal brightness gradient (Gmt); 5. The lateral movement gradient (Glt) and the depth movement gradient (Gdt);
III. The finite solid in infinite space. 1. The combined spacial line/field factor (Ls); 2. The combined spacial closedness/openness factor (Fs); 3. Synopsis of the perception of a three-dimensional solid in a three-dimensional space, 4. The perception of a three-dimensional form;
IV. The finite change in infinite time. 1. Time line and time field (Lt), time closedness and time openness, time figure and time outfield (Ft); 2. The relationships between space and time factors;
Summary
Part 8: Empiristic Interaction Theory of Visual Figure Factors
I. Empiristic Association Hypothesis
II. Formalizing the gestalt laws 1. Syntax; 2. "Gestalt locations"; 3. The basis row of interaction factors; 4. The procedure of interpretation;
III. Examples of gestalt laws. 1. XA-laws; 2. Xdt-law; 3. Xdl-laws [The Moon illusion - The Delboef illusion - The Ebbinghaus illusion]; 4.XFl-laws; 5. Xdm-laws; 6. XLl-laws and XGml-laws;
Summary
Part 9: "Subjective" contours and fields accounted for by the ETVG
I. The edge type illusion 1. Introduction; 2. The primary conditions for the emergence of edge type NPCs [The origin of an MPC - The origin of an NPC - The origin of both a matching and a non-matching phenomenal field]; 3. Interpretation of peculiarities in the domain of NP contours and fields [About "determinants" of the NP contours and fields - The summation of functional activations - "Lengthening", "condensing", and "strengthening" effects of Ll - "Straight" and "curved" forms of an NPC]; 4. Further types of non-matching phenomenal contours and fields [Hermann grid patches - Percepts in actual-genetic and actual-lytic processes - Negative afterimages - "Clairvoyant images"];
II. The line-end type illusion. 1. The primary conditions for the emergence of line-end type NPCs; 2. The course of the NPC; 3. Explanation of some experimental findings [The detection threshold - Variables influencing the "abutting grating illusion"];4. Approach to accounting for other data;
Summary
Part 10: Past, present, and future
I. General difficulties in reading this book
II. Comparing the ETVG with Berlin gestalt psychology in greater detail; 1. "Constancy hypothesis": none, one or two? 2. Sensory and gestalt stimuli; 3. Explicit and implicit memory; 4. Toward a synthesis of Ganzheit theory and "Element theory" using the ETVG; 5.Figural after-effects [The new facts - Köhler's failure to account for most after-effects - Accounting for the figural after-effects using the ETVG];
III. Comparing the ETVG with Leipzig gestalt psychology. 1. The "transphenomenal psychic being"; 2. Sander adopts the basic hypotheses of the ETVG actual-genetic theory;
IV. Further responses. 1. Comments to new facts and their interpretation; 2. Comments of non-gestaltists to the ETVG;
V. Comparing the ETVG with the Grossberg theory. 1. Similarities [Rough structural comparison - Statements about the Boundary Contour System (BCS) - Statements about the Feature Contour System (FCS) and its relationships to the BCS]; 2. Criticisms to the Grossberg theory [Invalid distinction between "visible" and "recognizable" percepts - Restricted domain of filling-in - The lack of a two-dimensional figure/outfield concept];
VI. The Four-Manner Four-Level Model of Reality. 1. Outline of the model; 2. Criticisms to the model; 3. New insights into reality [The solution to the mind/matter problem - Psychic and Mental Consciousness - Where the axioms of logic, arithmetic, and geometry come from - From Mental Consciousness (MC) to Mental Order (MO) - From Mental Order (MO) to Individual Cosmic Matter (ICM)];
VII. What could be the next steps in visual research? 1. The ETVG's limitations and the domains beyond them [Essential limitations - Present limitations]; 2. Further theoretical investigation; 3. Empirical examination of ETVG predictions [Accounting for known facts - Performing new experiments];
Summary
Part 11: Advanced studies on visual perception
Introduction
I. Influences on the perception of size, length, and interval (Xdl-laws). 1. The Baldwin illusion; 2. The Müller-Lyer illusion; 3. Additivity of illusion effects; 4. More influences on apparent line length; 5. The Oppel-Kundt illusion; 6. Dramatic phenomena; 7. The "fist experiment"; 8. Investigations on the Delboef illusion; 9. Where is the peak of non-monotonic curves? 10. Effects of contour blurring on size and length perception;
I. Influences on Critical Flicker Frequency and latency (Xdt-laws. 1. Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF) [Time figure and time outfield - The specific gestalt law "dt dt" - Unspecific Xdt-laws - The influence of figure complexity on CFF]; 2. Latency; 3. Two kinds of influence caused by figure complexity;
III. Similarity, discriminability, and their hierarchical dependences. 1. Theory of similarity and discriminability; 2. Similarity judgments, with examples from Goldmeier (1937); 3. Number and orientation similarity [Number similarity ranks - Orientation Similarity Measure (OSM) - Combined number and orientation similarity rank order, using an experiment from Beck (1966)] 4. Discrimination time rank orders [An example from Olson and Attenave (1970) - Examples from Pomerantz, Sager, and Stoever (1977)]; 5. Texture discrimination [Examples from Julesz, Gilbert, Shepp, and Frisch (1973) - Examples from Caelli, Julesz, and Gilbert (1978)];
6. Search asymmetries, with examples from Treisman and Gormican (1988);
Summary
Epilogue:
Can this theory be one of the seldom emerging grand paradigm candidates?
1. The aim of the epilogue; 2. Normal science, its paradigms and anomalies; 3. Resistance to paradigm change; 4. The characteristics of a new paradigm; 5. How will a new paradigm be adopted by scientists? 6. Who are the inventors of paradigms?