Unity and variety in visual form

Abstract

Some stimuli are perceived as unitary patterns, and others as dual or plural patterns. Such 'unity-and-variety' phenomena are explained by various process approaches of perception, such as the global precedence hypothesis, the preattentive orientation detection assumption, and the recognition-by-components model. However, these three approaches, which will be discussed in this paper, each explain a different subset of these phenomena. It will be argued that not only these three subsets but also other unity-and-variety phenomena can be explained from just one point of view by adopting the descriptive minimum principle. This principle states that the preferred interpretation of a pattern is reflected by the simplest of all possible representations of that pattern. The highest hierarchical level in the simplest pattern-representation will be called the 'superstructure' of the pattern. The superstructure of a pattern neither refers necessarily to the largest or global pattern component, nor is assessed necessarily in a primary stage in the perception process. Yet, it will be argued that the superstructure is decisive in determining whether a shape is perceived either as unitary or as dual.