Gestalt Concept of Figure and Ground: This fundamental Gestalt principle describes how we organize perception. “Figure” is what is salient and stands out in our awareness (foreground), while “ground” is the background context. What becomes figure is dynamic and shifts based on needs, interests, and context.
For example, I have arrived in from a long and chilly walk. I am hungry and I turn the stove on to heat the soup in the pot. Whilst the soup is heating, I walk to the front of the house to collect the mail. I hear the door banging the and swinging in the wind, I find out someone has forced the lock and has stolen my bike from the hallway. I panic and call the police spending 30-minutes on the call. I walk back into the kitchen and realise I have left the soup on and it is burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pot.
The Neuroscience of Figure and Ground (Superior Colliculi & Hippocampus):
- Superior Colliculi (SC) & Salience Detection: The SC’s role in orienting attention to salient stimuli is directly relevant to the “figure” aspect (I see the soup pot / I hear the front banging). The SC helps us quickly identify and focus on what is perceptually prominent or attention-grabbing in our environment. What becomes “figure” often starts with this basic sensory salience detected by the SC.
- Hippocampus & Context and Meaning (Ground): The hippocampus is crucial for contextual memory, spatial navigation, and forming episodic memories. It provides the background context against which figures emerge. The hippocampus helps us understand the meaning of stimuli based on past experiences and current context, influencing what we perceive as figure and ground. For example, a sound might become “figure” if the hippocampus recognizes it as a threat in a particular context, while in another context, it remains part of the “ground.” For example, hearing the door banging is unusual as it is mostly locked. This activates my threat response system via the SC.
- Interaction: The interaction between the SC (detecting sensory salience) and the hippocampus (providing contextual meaning) is likely crucial for figure-ground organization. The SC might initially draw attention to a stimulus, and then the hippocampus rapidly assesses its relevance and meaning within the current context, shaping whether it becomes “figure” or remains “ground.”
Gestalt-Neuroscience Link for Figure and Ground: The dynamic interplay of figure and ground in Gestalt perception can be understood as a neurological process involving the SC’s role in initial salience detection and the hippocampus’s contribution to contextual interpretation and meaning-making. In therapy, exploring figure and ground with clients can be linked to helping them become aware of how their current needs, past experiences (hippocampal function), and immediate sensory environment (SC input) shape their perception and what they focus on. Shifting the “figure” in therapy can be seen as a process of altering attentional focus and contextual understanding, potentially influencing the SC-hippocampal interplay.
