Are Semantics Accessed for the Groundside of an Object? An Attempt to Replicate a Classic Experiment

• Main Author: Champeau, Rachel Therese
• Other Authors: Peterson, Mary A.
• Language: en
• Published: The University of Arizona. 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/297526

The task of visual perception relies on one central ability: to determine figure from ground. Previous convention held that within an image only one feature could be deemed figure and the rest would be considered ground. Recent studies have shown that semantic access can be granted for objects on the groundside of an image. Specifically, Eagle et. al. (1966) found that semantic access was granted for a silhouette of a duck on the groundside of a tree image. The result of which caused more duck-related imagery within participants drawing than in participants who viewed just a tree image. The goal of the following study is to replicate the crucial findings of Eagle et. al. (1966). Three experiments were conducted attempting to replicate the original findings but were unable to do so. Failure to replicate may indicate that semantic access can only be granted for a limited amount of time.