PERCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION IN INDUSTRIAL INSPECTORS

Abstract

Descriptions of the inspection of painted surfaces, of domestic cleaners for noise, and the surface of castings, are used to illustrate the suggestion that prolonged perceptual interaction with a restricted range of objects produces now figure-ground experiences in the inspector. The paper discusses the observation that the inspector learns to recognize a wide variety of secondary cues as relevant to his task, and is thus enabled continually to adjust his perceptual ‘ set ’ to optimise his performance. This perceptual development is compared with that experienced by a subject during prolonged viewing of a distorted room.