Holistic processing

Holistic processing refers to the perceptual tendency to process objects as wholes rather than separate parts. It was first regarded as a hallmark for face recognition, and later found to be associated with excellent skills in individuating visual similar objects, either for real-word objects (e.g. cars or fingerprints) or computer-generated novel objects (e.g. Greebles or Ziggerins).


Development of Holistic Processing in Perceptual Expertise

However, some empirical findings call for a review in this expertise hypothesis, since similar effects were found in novices. Our work on musical notation offers a resolution to this paradox:

Holistic processing observed in novices and experts arise with different reasons, and represent two ends of a continuum: the 'holistic effect' in novices is more strategic and contextual (rather than perceptual), while the holistic perceptual tendency gradually develops and becomes automatic with the acquisition of perceptual expertise.


Holistic Processing in Expertise in Visual Word Recognition

Visual word processing is traditionally considered part-based, and does not rely on holistic processing. Our recent work demonstrated that expert word recognition shows higher sensitivity to the spatial relationships between different parts of a word, and the degree of such sensitivity can be predicted by individual fluency in word recognition. Together with previous work that demonstrates holistic processing with words using the composite paradigm, the findings show that visual word recognition shares the same hallmark of expertise in holistic processing as does face recognition.


Related papers:

  1. Wong, A.C.-N., Wong, Y.K., Lui, K.F.H., Ng, T.Y.K., & Ngan, V.S.H. (2019). Sensitivity to configural information in words predicts word recognition fluency. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 45(1), 82-99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000590

  2. Richler, J. J., Wong, Y. K., & Gauthier, I. (2011). Perceptual expertise as a shift from strategic interference to automatic holistic processing. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(2), 129-134. PDF

  3. Wong Y. K., & Gauthier, I. (2010). Holistic processing of musical notation: Dissociating failures of selective attention in experts and novices. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, 10(4), 541-551. PDF

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