1, 2, 3, Many—Perceptual Integration of Motif Repetitions

Abstract

It is generally assumed that the initial integration of visual information is limited in its spatial extent. Of particular interest is the extent to which image symmetries are detected and integrated. Here we studied the spatial extent of visual integration in textures constructed from wallpaper symmetry groups. Using tools from statistical physics, we obtained images ranging from symmetric ones to completely random ones, whereas the textural elements were of the same quality. Results show that the psychometric curves for 3 × 3 motif repetitions are similar to those of images having more repetitions, whereas an equivalent physical scaling of the images does not alter the performance.