Gestalt Theory

In this chapter, we start in Section 2.1 with some examples of optic-geometric illusions and then give, in Section 2.2, an account of Gestalt Theory, centered on the initial 1923 Wertheimer program. In Section 2.3 the focus is on the problems raised by the synthesis of groups obtained by partial grouping laws. Following Kanizsa, we will address the conflicts between these laws and the masking phenomenon. In Section 2.4 several quantitative aspects implicit in Kanizsa’s definition of masking are indicated. It is shown that one particular kind of masking, Kanizsa’s masking by texture, may lead to a computational procedure.