The Perception of Visual Surfaces

The writer has recently proposed the theory that visual space-perception is reducible to the perception of visual surfaces, and that distance, depth, and orientation, together with the constancy of objects, may all be derived from the properties of an array of surfaces.' The notion of completely empty space is asserted to be irrelevant for the theory of space-perception. The perception of space between objects, in this theory, depends on the experience of contours against a general background, and on the impression of one surface behind another. The fundamental 'sensations' of space are assumed to be the impressions of surface and edge. If the theory is valid, there should be discoverable variables in stimulation for the essential properties or qualities of a surface, and these should prove to be the effective stimuli for space-perception. What is called for is a listing of the properties or qualities-a phenomenological study-and a search for the corresponding stimulus variables-a program of psychophysical experiments.