Hole superiority effect with 3D figures formed by binocular disparity

Abstract

The global-first theory of topological perception claims that topological perception is prior to the perception of local features (e.g., Chen, 1982, 2005). Our previous studies demonstrated a hole superiority effect (HSE): Figures with holes are more detectable than figures without holes. Such an HSE was shown with figures formed by either orientation-defined texture (Zhang, 2009) or a black-and-white contrast (Meng, Cui, Zhou, Chen, & Ma, 2012). The present study used binocular disparity as one more organizing factor for testing the abstract nature of the HSE, indicating holes, as a typical kind of topological invariance, are represented in vision independent of the features that were forming the holes. The disparity-forming figures were well controlled for luminance, spatial frequency, subjective contours, and other nontopological factors, which are commonly considered as counter explanations against the topological theory.