A variety of measures are enlisted in an explanation of some longstanding perceptual phenomena associated with an assortment of visual patterns. In following the proximity principle of Gestalt psychology, these are commonly based upon a statistical treatment applied to one or another of a hierarchy of distance measures. Following from this, some problems of visual perception are tackled in terms of an active perceiving mechanism, which generates transformations in the realization of object invariance in space and over time. This generative transformational approach is also employed in an account of perception of various patterns and visual illusions. Although a range of proximity measures is involved throughout, the nearest neighbour metric is staple. For perception of unstructured visual arrays, the contribution of distance mechanisms, particularly nearest neighbours, is shown to be important. For structured arrays, the contribution of distance mechanisms along with transformations is important. Information about relative positions of image elements permits the selection of transformations that reveal structure. With respect to such information, however, the proximity principle is taken to its limits. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Psychology, 2006.

Thesis (M.S. in Psych.)--School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. Directed by Terry Maple. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-69).

Thesis (Ph.D)--Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Dr. Elizabeth T. Davis; Committee Member: Dr. Gregory M. Corso; Committee Member: Dr. Krishnankutty Sathian; Committee Member: Dr. Paul Corballis; Committee Member: Dr. Wendy A. Rogers. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ambiguous visual stimuli in art instruction with ninth grade girl art students on the four divergent thinking abilities of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration, as measured by Torrance's Tests of Creative Thinking, Figural Forms (1966).The research hypothesis was formulated as follows: Students exposed to ambiguous visual stimuli in art will exhibit a greater increase in divergent thinking abilities than students exposed to non-ambiguous visual stimuli.A group of 40 freshmen high school girls studying art at West Philadelphia Catholic Girls' High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1969-1970 school year, constituted the sample of subjects for the study. These subjects were matched for IQ and previous art teacher, then randomized into two treatment groups. The assignment of the ambiguous stimuli treatment to one group was done at random by the researcher. The second group thus became the non-ambiguous stimuli treatment group.The art instruction given to both treatment groups consisted of projects in design, watercolor painting, print-making, and the production of 2 x 2 acetate transparencies. A variety of materials were used. The study lasted nine weeks, averaging 4 meetings weekly, with 42 minutes per meeting.Each treatment group was exposed to a separate set of slides during the art classroom activities. One set, the ambiguous visual stimuli, contained 51 slides of the Rorschach "projective" and the Gestalt "figure-ground" ambiguity types. The non-ambiguous visual stimuli set of 45 slides was composed of representational or non-abstract pictures, paintings, designs, etc.The two art instructors for the study exchanged places with each other several times during the nine weeks in order to minimize any possible differences due to teacher "style" and/or personality.The results of the study showed high positive correlations between the factors of fluency and flexibility, moderate to high correlations between fluency and originality, and between flexibility and originality, with low positive correlation between elaboration and the other three factors.There was no statistically significant difference between the scores of the two treatment groups on Torrance's Tests of Creative Thinking, Figural Forms. The ambiguous visual stimuli-treatment group, however, showed significant net mean gains on fluency and originality. No significant net mean gains were made by the non-ambiguous visual stimuli treatment group.The conclusions drawn from the findings are:1. Torrance's Tests do not seem to be measuring four distinct factors; to know an individual's flexibility score is to know her fluency and originality scores.2. A Gestalt-like figural flexibility factor, similar to the "spontaneous" flexibility of Guilford, seems to be the factor or ability being measured by the Tests.3. The use of Rorschach "projective" ambiguity and Gestalt "figure-ground" ambiguity in art instruction with ninth grade girls does not inhibit growth in divergent thinking abilities.4. High school girl subjects in an art instructional setting are not adversely affected on divergent thinking measures by either ambiguous or non-ambiguous visual stimuli.Recommendations for further research included:1. Replication of this study, employing a randomized sample of boys and girls (or boys only), restricting the visual stimuli to the Gestalt "figure-ground" ambiguity, administering several measures of divergent thinking, increasing the treatment time and exposure to the visual stimuli, and evaluating the art products of the subjects.2. Continued utilization in art education research of Guilford's "Structure-.of-Intellect" model, with particular emphasis on the figural content of the divergent thinking (production) operation.

Thesis (M.Sc.) -- Memorial University of Newfoundland. 1974. / Typescript. Bibliography : leaves 36-42. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Formulation of a Visual Stimuli Kit designed as an aid to developing Visual Awareness for Grade 3, 4, and 5 school children by the elementary classroom teacher. In the elementary school, perception is important in many areas of the curriculum. Contemporary art education theorists have become more concerned with the development of children's visual perception as an integral part of the art program. Although there are adequate books and periodicals for teachers about art education theory and method, there is a lack of useful, easily understood, simple to use visual aids. This researcher's aim was to provide the means for teachers to develop perception with the help of visual aids. This kit was designed in such a way as to be easily used by the generalist classroom teacher without specialist training in art, or art education. After reviewing literature in the general area of visual perception and when selecting images for the kit, the researcher believed that two considerations were of paramount importances the relation of the image to the child's own environment; and the relation of the image to the interests of children. Consideration was given not only to the image but to the relationship between two views of the same object. The views of two independent evaluators were sought for clarification of and assessment of the potential kit. The potential kit was composed of black and white, 11" x 14" prints made after taking photographs of environmental areas and articles considered generally interesting to children and adults. An examination revealed that many prints were unsuitable for various reasons. The researcher also found that many needed modification because of insufficient content for detailed analysis. Additional enlarged photographs were made and included in each set. Questions were compiled and photographs were mounted in preparation for pilot testing. Pilot testing was undertaken with a grade 4 and a grade 5 class from two public schools in Vancouver. Visuals were shown and questions were asked about each. Responses were recorded and analysed. It was concluded that the Visual Stimuli Kit would be suitable for further use with only one visual omitted. Previous testing had suggested reportable differences in overall thinking and perception between grade k and grade 5. Large differences were revealed in degree of perception and children's critical thinking. Further testing was carried out with grade 3, 4 and 5 children with responses tabulated and analysed. Grade 4 children with previous perceptual training showed differences in quality of responses. Results from classroom testing gave positive indications of the suitability of the Visual Stimuli Kit for classroom use. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate