Which concept is used to differentiate between foreground and background objects?

The concept of "Figure and Ground" is a fundamental principle in visual perception that helps distinguish objects from their backgrounds. In this context, the "figure" refers to the main object of focus, while the "ground" is the background that provides context. This differentiation is crucial for visual processing, as it allows individuals to identify and recognize objects within complex visual scenes.

For example, when looking at a painting, the central element, such as a tree, is perceived as the figure, whereas the sky and land behind it serve as the ground. This relationship helps the brain to prioritize what is relevant in a scene. Our ability to separate figure from ground is influenced by various visual cues, such as contrast, color, and shape.

The other concepts, while important in the study of perception, do not specifically address the differentiation between foreground and background objects. Depth perception relates to how we perceive the distance of objects, focus and attention deal with where we direct our cognitive resources, and perceptual constancy refers to our ability to perceive stable images despite changes in sensory input. Each of these plays a role in our overall visual experience but does not target the specific figure-ground relationship as directly as the chosen concept.