Underestimation of the number of hidden objects

Abstract

The perceptual representation of our environment does not only involve what we actually can see, but also inferences about what is hidden from our sight. For example, in amodal completion, simple contours or surfaces are filled-in behind occluding objects allowing for a complete representation. This is important for many everyday tasks, such as visual search, foraging, and object handling. Although there is support for completion of simple patterns from behavioral and neurophysiological studies, it is unclear if these mechanisms extend to complex, irregular patterns. Here, we show that the number of hidden objects on partially occluded surfaces is underestimated. Observers did not consider accurately the number of visible objects and the proportion of occlusion to infer the number of hidden objects, although these quantities were perceived accurately and reliably. However, visible objects were not simply ignored: estimations of hidden objects increased when the visible objects formed a line across the occluder and decreased when the visible objects formed a line outside of the occluder. Confidence ratings for numerosity estimation were similar for fully visible and partially occluded surfaces. These results suggest that perceptual inferences about what is hidden in our environment can be very inaccurate und underestimate the complexity of the environment.