The conclusions posited by Schulz and Sanocki warrant further study, as the integration of the preconstancy and postconstancy positions represent a major shift in Gestalt grouping research. By establishing the theoretical foundations of multiple grouping processes, and providing empirical evidence to support this emerging notion, the work of Schulz and Sanocki provided the basis for additional study on Gestalt grouping during early- and late-stage vision. 6.) Design an experiment that will look at perceptual grouping using another Gestalt principle of grouping (e.g., proximity) or another type of constancy (e.g., size, shape) (maximum 1-page, 7 points as detailed below)

The following experiment is intended to examine the Gestalt grouping principle of closure as it relates to the type of shape depicted. Participants in the study will be exposed to a rotating assortment of incomplete shape outlines, including the familiar (square, circle, and octagon), the obscure (rhombus, kite, and trapezoid), and the abstract (animal, plant, and symbolic images), and their ability to perceptually close the shapes according to the Gestalt principle known as the Law of Closure will be measured. It is expected that the more familiar shapes will be instantaneously closed during the preconstancy retinal stage of visual perception, while more obscure and abstract shapes will be closed during the postconstancy stage.

1.) What methods would you use? (e.g., describe your stimuli, your task, etc.)

A total of 72 subjects (36 males / 36 females) comprised of university students will participate in the study, pending a routine screening for vision defects or other anomalies which would preclude their inclusion. An array of nine fragmented stimuli will be presented to each subject on a random rotation, with identical exposure intervals to control for the confounding variable. These stimulus arrays will contain a total of nine fragmented shapes, divided into three groups (familiar, obscure, and abstract), and again each array will be identical in terms of coloration, luminescence, and other visual...

The rate of processing through which each participant properly closes the shape using perceptual grouping will be measured through the use of a tablet computing device with a responsive touch-screen, and specialized software designed to measure response time and finger pressure accuracy.
2.) What do you expect to find?

The expectation prior to conducting this experiment is that participants will close the familiar shapes (square, circle, and octagon) within a timeframe of milliseconds, confirming that perceptual closing on its most basic level occurs during the preconstancy stage of retinal imaging. Although Gestalt grouping phenomena are typically associated with preconstancy retinal imaging, however, the inclusion of obscure shapes (rhombus, kite, and trapezoid) and abstract shapes (animal, plant, and symbolic images) is designed to demonstrate that perceptual closing can result from late-stage reflective imaging during the postconstancy stage. If participants encounter an unfamiliar shape or image that is fragmented and incomplete, while using perceptual closing in a reasonable timeframe of 1 to 3 seconds, this will be considered indirect evidence that Gestalt grouping and perceptual closing are processes that occur during both the preconstancy and postconstancy stages of vision.

3.) What would be the implications of your findings? (try to talk about this with regard to the article and sensation/perception in general)

A finding which confirms the original hypothesis would form the basis of further empirical study, as this evidence would only further the emerging school of thought known as the postconstancy position. On the other hand, if participants were found to be capable of completing perceptual closing on unfamiliar objects, which would affirm the preconstancy position, further study would be needed to assess why this aspect of Gestalt grouping is limited to the retinal spectra.

References

Schulz, M.F. & Sanocki, T. (2003). Time course of perceptual grouping by color. Psychological Science, 14 (1),…