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A critical discussion of Kellman and Shipley's (1991) theory of occlusion phenomena

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Summary

Kellman and Shipley (1991) recently advanced a new theory to explain the perception of partly occluded objects and illusory figures. The theory is a formalization of the Gestalt law of good continuation. In this paper we describe their account of occlusion when the contour of the occluded is completely specified by a display. Next, we outline some critical objections and present a number of counterexamples. Finally, we compare their theory with Wouterlood and Boselie's (in this issue) model of occlusion phenomena, which might also be considered as a formalization of the law of good continuation.

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Boselie, F., Wouterlood, D. A critical discussion of Kellman and Shipley's (1991) theory of occlusion phenomena. Psychol. Res 54, 278–285 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01358265

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01358265

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