We perceive the shapes and material properties of objects quickly and reliably despite the
complexity and objective ambiguities of natural images. Typical images are highly complex …

An ideal observer is a hypothetical device that performs optimally in a perceptual task given
the available information. The theory of ideal observers has proven to be a powerful and …

In various cultures and at all spatial scales, humans produce a rich complexity of geometric
shapes such as lines, circles or spirals. Here, we propose that humans possess a language …

This article proposes a new model of human concept learning that provides a rational
analysis of learning feature‐based concepts. This model is built upon Bayesian inference for …

The human visual system is the most complex pattern recognition device known. In ways
that are yet to be fully understood, the visual cortex arrives at a simple and unambiguous …

The rational analysis method, first proposed by John R. Anderson, has been enormously
influential in helping us understand high-level cognitive processes. The Probabilistic Mind is …

Probability has played a central role in models of perception for more than a century, but a
look at probabilistic concepts in the literature raises many questions. Is being Bayesian the …

We show that the dynamics of spiking neurons can be interpreted as a form of Bayesian
inference in time. Neurons that optimally integrate evidence about events in the external …

Abstract F. Attneave (1954) famously suggested that information along visual contours is
concentrated in regions of high magnitude of curvature, rather than being distributed …

Skeletal representations of shape have attracted enormous interest ever since their
introduction by Blum [Blum H (1973) J Theor Biol 38: 205–287], because of their potential to …