关键词: 知觉组织, 相邻性, 相似性, 外周视野

Abstract: Our previous studies suggest that proximity dominates similarity in perceptual grouping in the foveal vision. The current work further investigated the difference between the two grouping processes in the peripheral vision using target detection and discrimination tasks in two experiments. Subjects were required to identify orientations of perceptual groups defined by either proximity or similarity that were presented in the left or the right visual fields. We found that reaction times were faster in the proximity than similarity grouping conditions regardless of whether subjects detected perceptual groups with specific orientations or discriminated orientations of perceptual groups in each trial. In addition, the dominance of proximity over similarity was not different between stimulus arrays presented in the left or the right visual fields. However, response speed did not differ between conditions when grouping was defined by similarity of orientation and closure. The results suggest that, in the peripheral vision, proximity grouping takes place earlier than grouping by similarity whereas similarity grouping by different geometrical features operates with the same speed.

Key words: perceptual grouping, proximity, similarity, peripheral vision