Feature Integration Theory

Definition:

Feature Integration Theory, proposed by Anne Treisman, is a psychological theory explaining how the brain processes and integrates various features of an object to form a coherent perception.

Key Concepts

Sensory Features

Sensory features refer to the individual attributes of an object, such as color, shape, orientation, and size.

Pre-attentive Stage

The pre-attentive stage involves the automatic and rapid processing of sensory features by specialized neural mechanisms. During this stage, attention is not required, and features are analyzed in parallel.

Attention Stage

In the attention stage, the processed sensory features are combined and bound together to form a unified perception of the object. Attention plays a crucial role in integrating these features and creating a coherent representation.

Feature Integration Errors

Feature integration errors occur when attention is compromised, leading to difficulties in correctly combining or identifying the individual features of an object. This can result in perception errors or illusions.

Conclusion

Feature Integration Theory provides valuable insights into how the brain processes and integrates the different sensory features of an object to create a unified perception. It highlights the role of attention in feature binding and offers explanations for perceptual errors in certain situations.