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# Memory And Learning In Figure–Ground Perception

## Details

**Authors** Peterson and Skow-Grant

**Year** 2003

**Publisher** The Psychology of Learning and Motivation

**Discipline** Neuroscience

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0079-7421(03)01001-6) 
10.1016/s0079-7421(03)01001-6

## In authors' words

### What they set out to do (purpose)

How do memory and learning work with figure-ground perception?

### What they found (results)

Forming distinctions using borders is a quick way to recall a memory.

## Commentary

### In short

Visual distinctions through the brain's organization of boundaries are fundamental to human cognition and functioning.

### In more detail

C.1: Figure-Ground Peterson and Skow-Grant 2003 discussed how memory and learning work with figure-ground perception. Figure-ground assignment occurs when, “two regions share a common border.” It is typical for humans to think that one region is perceived as being shaped by the border (or identifying the figure), while the other region is perceived as shapeless, and typically continues behind the figure as the background (this is the “other”). An example of this is shown in Figure 9.

They found that in order to access memories about the figure-ground assignments, the prompt had to be the figure, not the ground. Using Gestalt principles, they reasoned that in order to be able to perform the process of memory matching, that prior, innate organization was necessary. Gestalt psychologists say that, “figure assignment is determined by any of a number of ‘‘configural’’ cues that can operate without accessing memory.” Border assignment is incredibly helpful for the process of visual Gestalt grouping. This includes past experience with borders. Perterson and Skow-Grant write that, “a single past experience with a border is sufficient to establish a memory that is accessed the next time the border is encountered suggests that memories of object structure are remarkably plastic.” They hypothesized that exploring the nature of border assignment (i.e., identity-other Distinctions) will further the research in this area. Forming Distinctions using borders is shown in this paper to be a surprisingly quick and fundamental tool for recalling memories associated with the figure formed using the border. Border assignment of visual stimuli is something humans (and other species) are doing every single day, all day long. This act of visually Distinguishing through boundary formation is fundamental to the brain and its processing of information into meaningful concepts.

**Patterns it shows** D

**How to cite this** Peterson and Skow-Grant (2003). Memory And Learning In Figure–Ground Perception. The Psychology of Learning and Motivation.