A neural network architecture for preattentive vision.

Recent results towards development of a neural network architecture for general-purpose preattentive vision are summarized. The architecture contains two parallel subsystems, the boundary contour system (BCS) and the feature contour system (FCS), which interact together to generate a representation of form-and-color-and-depth. Emergent boundary segmentation within the BCS and featural filling-in within the FCS are herein emphasized within a monocular setting. Applications to the analysis of boundaries, textures, and smooth surfaces are described, as is a model for invariant brightness perception under variable illumination conditions. The theory shows how suitably defined parallel and hierarchical interactions overcome computational uncertainties that necessarily exist at early processing stages. Some of the psychophysical and neurophysiological data supporting the theory's predictions are mentioned.