Figure-ground perception is the ability to distinguish between a solid background and a foreground shape. It has applications in art and design and can be used to test visual depth perception. Some artists use it to create optical illusions, while psychologists apply the same principles to auditory perception.
Shape perception is a particular area of cognition that refers to how people see certain objects in a two-dimensional space. Some of the best-known examples of figure-ground perception challenge the function of the eyes and brain in separating partially joined shapes. This type of perception has applications in art and design as a means of training artists to focus on spatial elements in a given image. Scholars studying the psychology of perception often use ground imagery to demonstrate how competing visual images can send different signals to the brain.
A major focus of figure-ground perception is the phenomenon of separation between the solid background of an image and any foreground shape that has definite outlines. The most obvious examples of this visual trick are found in black and white drawings or paintings that appear to change when viewers look at only one of two areas. A famous sample appears as a white vase on a solid black background. As viewers move their gaze from the white to the black area, the image appears to change to one of two profile faces looking at each other. This type of image can also sometimes be used as a test of visual depth perception ability.
Some artists use the perception of the shape of the ground to create works that act as optical illusions. Their purpose can sometimes be to question the reliability of what people see versus what they intuitively perceive. Viewers can see two images competing with each other, which can even create a subtle urge in the brain to attempt to look at both at the same time. This visual competition is designated as one of the most common problems with ground figure perception. Some theories of perception claim that people can train their brains to see both objects simultaneously, while other schools of thought dismiss this idea as very difficult, if not impossible.
Some other ideas of cognition may also arise from the study of figure-ground perception. Some psychologists report that this act of visual separation applies to other areas of perception such as auditory. The same basic principles can be applied to studies of how people mentally separate melodies from harmonies in music, for example. This information can also reveal how the human brain reacts to dissonant musical compositions versus those that are more pleasant to listen to.
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