Figure-ground perception

Figure ground perception is the way that we organize the visual field into objects (figures) that stand out from their surroundings (ground). This is a photo of a purse siting on a chair. Without figure-ground perception we would not be able to recognize that the purse is a separate figure from the chair (the ground) because they are the same material and could appear to blend together. 

Binocular cue: retinal disparity

Retinal disparity happens because we see a slightly different image from each eye. Our brain is able to compute the disparity or difference between the two images and tell how far away an object is. The greater the disparity the further away an object is. These two photographs were taken of the same hand in the same position however the photo on the right was taken with the camera held in front of my right eye and the photo on the left with the camera held in front of the left eye. As you can see in each picture the thumb appears to be in a different location in relationship to the corner of the wall located further away even though nothing in the image actually moved. 

Monocular cue: Interposition

Interposition is the fact that when one object partially blocks out view of another we perceive it as closer. In this photo the railing is partially covering the dog. Because of this, we assume the railing is in front of the dog and closer to us.

Monocular cue: Relative Clarity

Relative clarity is the idea that images that are further away appear hazier. In this image we are able to see the individual leaves of the trees in the foreground but we are not able to distinguish between individual leaves or even individual trees in the background. 

Figure-ground perception

Figure-ground perception is our ability to organize the visual field by distinguishing between objects(the figures) and the surroundings (the ground). In this photo we recognize the dog as the main focus as it becomes the object or figure, and we recognize the wood floor as it's surroundings or the ground.