A feedforward mechanism for human-like contour integration
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Deep neural network models provide a powerful experimental platform for exploring core mechanisms underlying human visual perception, such as perceptual grouping and contour integration-the process of linking local edge elements to arrive at a unified perceptual representation of a complete contour. Here, we demonstrate that feedforward convolutional neural networks (CNNs) fine-tuned on contour detection show this human-like capacity, but without relying on mechanisms proposed in prior work, such as lateral connections, recurrence, or top-down feedback. We identified two key properties needed for ImageNet pre-trained, feed-forward models to yield human-like contour integration: first, progressively increasing receptive field structure served as a critical architectural motif to support this capacity; and second, biased fine-tuning for contour-detection specifically for gradual curves (~20 degrees) resulted in human-like sensitivity to curvature. We further demonstrate that fine-tuning ImageNet pretrained models uncovers other hidden human-like capacities in feed-forward networks, including uncrowding (reduced interference from distractors as the number of distractors increases), which is considered a signature of human perceptual grouping. Thus, taken together these results provide a computational existence proof that purely feedforward hierarchical computations are capable of implementing gestalt "good continuation" and perceptual organization needed for human-like contour-integration and uncrowding. More broadly, these results raise the possibility that in human vision, later stages of processing play a more prominent role in perceptual-organization than implied by theories focused on recurrence and early lateral connections.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.002 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.003 | 0.001 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".