Does orientation-independent object recognition precede orientation-dependent recognition? Evidence from a cuing paradigm.

Abstract

Object recognition may entail an incremental normalization process before access to canonical orientation representations, but is this process guided by prior access to object-centered representations? In Experiment 1, the authors showed observers figure-ground stimuli known to reflect access to, and output from, stored shape representations. The stimuli appeared in each of 6 different orientations, preceded by cues providing either (a) no information, (b) upright shape information only, (c) upright shape information plus orientation information (separately), or (d) shape information in the same orientation as the upcoming figure-ground test stimulus. Contrary to predictions by a postaccess account, the cues failed to eliminate orientation dependency in shape recognition. The results favor a preaccess account of the normalization process within the context of canonical orientation representations.