Figure and Ground-0 Contour

Perception plays a very important part in any person’s thinking. Similarly, the Figure and Ground Perceptions are also part of it. This theory emerged due to the Gestalt approach done by many German psychologists namely Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Kohler.

This asserts that any person’s perceptual system could separate the stimuli into the figure on a ground element basis. Suppose a real-life example: placing the logo of a company on the bottom of the page drives more attention to it and will be better remembered as compared to if the logo was placed on top of the page. (Makes the logo a figure element) Let’s dive to know about Figure and Ground- 0 contour.

Perceptions.

What are Figure and Ground- 0 contours?

The Figure and Ground- 0 contours was discovered by Edgar Rubin; it is one of the seven laws in the Gestalt theory which helps in explaining how humans perceive different types of images/ things. If put simply, any object that is being looked at is considered a “Figure”. And everything else which forms the background is referred to as “Ground”. Let’s say, you see a white circle over a black background the circle becomes the Figure whereas the surroundings of that circle become the Ground.

Examples

There is another very common example of the demonstration of figure and ground-0 contour which is the” Faces or vases” illusion which is also known as ‘Rubin Vase’. You may see two faces depending on what you are seeing, if the black part is considered the figure, then you might see two faces in the profile. Or else if the white part is considered as the figure, then the vase will be visible in the center.

Many people can reverse the perception they have made in their brains and switch back and forth between the images of the vase and faces.

Another additional example is the “My Wife and My Mother-in-law” illusion drawing.  This image has gained popularity for being reversible. The person whosoever is watching may first observe a very young girl and then her head turns to the right side or could be a woman with a large nose and protruding chin. All this depends on the perspective of the viewer.

The ground 0 figure NYC is also the most beautiful scene to look at but if a person is not able to differentiate between the figure and background then their brain will not be able to recognize any building or any architecture.  

2 0 3 conductors with ground figures show the structure of the inside layers of any wire with the help of different colors, here too the recognition of the main figure and the ground is important.

How do you differentiate between Figure and ground?

Whenever people look at any image or any visual scene, their brain tries to look for different ways so that it could easily differentiate between the figure and the ground.

• Sizes: Images will appear larger are the images that are perceived as closer and the rest of the part of that image will appear to be smaller when not in focus.

• Contrast: Rubin vase is a perfect example that leads the objects to the perception of figure and ground.  

• Blurry: The part of the image that we are determined on will always appear sharp and crispy whereas when it comes to the background it will always be a little hazy

Relationship between the figure and Ground

The Relationship shared to be the Figure and the Ground can be divided into three categories:

Reversible: Here, the figure, and the background both have the same density, which enables the viewer’s eyes to change the figure with the background (i.e., reversible). This is used in the creation of visual illusions among the viewers, it is done in both web designing and also in the different forms of art.

Stable: In a stable figure, the background, and the focused image both are visible, and one element will always dominate the other.

Ambiguous:  When it is about any type of ambiguous design, it comes with a little differentiation between the figure and the ground which says that at any certain point in time the element we see can be both a figure and ground. So, to make the design ambiguous the boundary of the image needs to be blurred out. 

This might sound difficult, but M.C. Escher was a Dutch graphic artist who mastered it. It is all thanks to him that we see great pictures of something going upwards or downwards. (Flow of water, falling places, buildings at difficult angles)

Conduction of Figure-Ground illusions in daily life

We imply these visual techniques often that do not even realize that we are part of it. For instance, good visual figure-ground skills help the person to find their favorite t-shirt or a kid to find his/her favorite toy.

Conductor activities related to figures and ground in primary schools help children learn and build new skills. If at school a child lacks this skill then that child might struggle with distinguishing between the characters on the blackboard, struggle with map works, or will have poor dictionary skills.

Conducting Activities to improve Visual Skills (Figure and Ground) in Schools

• Matching Cards

• Jigsaw Puzzles

• Using Activity Books

The simplest way is to use action figures in teaching kids. Action Figures can also play a very important role in the development of the brain. There are many toys available in the market that could be of great help.

Conclusion

The topic of Figure-Ground 0 Contour gives us insight into how the human brains work when it comes to visual illusions and picking certain focused images for the brain to recognize. Figure-Ground 0 Contour tells the use of the fraction part of the working of the system of the brain.