Open Peer Commentary Pessoa et al.: Perceptual completion
The level of filling-in and when it is cognitive
Richard L. Gregory a1 a1 Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TN United Kingdom
richard.gregory@bris.ac.uk
Abstract
This informative and conceptually stimulating target article
is very useful. I merely query whether the term “illusory
contours” is appropriate for gap filling; “illusory
surfaces” seems better – and “fictional
surfaces” better still. These seem to be rule based rather
than knowledge based, suggesting indeed the importance of
distinguishing rules (analogous to syntax in language) from
knowledge (equivalent to semantics) for classifying perceptual
phenomena.
