An Inductive Approach to Figural Perception

Abstract

The problem of interpreting single images of abstract figures is addressed. It is argued that neither rule-based deductive inference nor model-based matching are satisfactory computational paradigms for this problem. As an alternative, an inductive approach consisting of two parts is presented. The first part involves a scheme, based on differential geometry, for describing the shapes of curves and surfaces, and for generating these descriptions from images. The second part of the approach relies on a criterion for deciding which description, among the candidates allowed by the constraints in the image, is to be preferred. This criterion -- minimum entropy -- is related to concepts from Gestalt psychology, thermodynamics, and information theory. Several examples are given to illustrate the inductive approach.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 19, 1984
Accession Number
ADA461040

Entities

People

  • Stephen T. Barnard

Organizations

  • SRI International

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Availability
  • Classification
  • Contracts
  • Differential Geometry
  • Entropy
  • Geometry
  • Information Operations
  • Information Theory
  • Instructions
  • Mathematics
  • Monitoring
  • Perception
  • Psychological Phenomena And Processes
  • Psychology
  • Security
  • Standards

Readers

  • Computer Vision.
  • Theoretical Analysis.

Technology Areas

  • AI & ML
  • AI & ML - Bayesian Inference
  • AI & ML - Machine Learning Algorithms