Bert has just baked a large sheet of perfectly round, delicious cookies. When Bert leaves the room briefly, Cookie Monster takes a half-moon-shaped bite out of one of the cookies and replaces it into the array of cookies. Bert returns to the room and looks at the cookies, but misses the fact that Cookie Monster has taken a bite out of one of them. What gestalt grouping factor of perceptual organization may explain why Bert fails to see the bite taken out of the cookie?
A) figure-ground separation
B) proximity
C) similarity
D) subjective contours

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Subjective contours are illusory contours that are perceived even though they are not physically present in the image. In this case, the bite taken out of the cookie creates a subjective contour that Bert fails to see because he is focusing on the overall shape of the cookie.

Bert Has Just Baked a Large Sheet of Perfectly Round