A reversible figure is a drawing that is compatible with two interpretations that can shift back and forth (see following slides for depiction).
A perceptual set is a readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way.
Inattentional blindness involves the failure to see fully visible objects or events in a visual display.
According to feature detection theory, people detect specific elements in stimuli and build them up into recognizable forms– bottom-up processing.
Subjective contours is a phenomenon whereby contours are perceived where none actually exist, attributed to top-down processing.
Form perception involves top-down processing– clearly emphasized by the Gestalt psychologists, who demonstrated that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.