Rules of Perceptual Organization

Closure- This is when we fill in the gaps to create a complete, whole object. An example would be the world wild life fund. It is a panda but we only see a panda due to closure












Continuity- When we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones. An example would be this black and red "x" like figure. We perceive this as one continuous object, but really it is four separate line segments that meet at one point.










Similarity- Where we group together figures that are similar to one another. For example, we group this picture into columns of red and black circles. We don't see it as just a bunch of colored circles.









Proximity- Where we group nearby figures together. An example is that the squares on the left just look like a bunch of individual black squares, but when but close together on the right we group them together and see them form a cube.











Figure-ground perception- The organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground). For example, in the picture you either see a white cup, which is the figure and the black around it is the ground. You can also see two faces, which is the figure, and the white in between them is the ground.