In object recognition, features are thought to be processed in a hierarchical fashion from low-level analysis (edges and lines) to complex figural processing (shapes and objects). Here, we show that figural processing determines low-level processing. Vernier offset discrimination strongly deteriorated when we embedded a vernier in a square. This is a classic crowding effect. Surprisingly, crowding almost disappeared when additional squares were added. We propose that figural interactions between the squares precede low-level suppression of the vernier by the single square, contrary to hierarchical models of object recognition.
Alexandre Caboussat, Dimitrios Gourzoulidis
Nicolas Henri Bernard Flammarion, Aditya Vardhan Varre
Rachid Guerraoui, Nirupam Gupta, Youssef Allouah, Geovani Rizk, Rafaël Benjamin Pinot