textons

pl. n. elemental features of visual stimuli that provide the basis for preattentive segmentation of a visual scene, prior to the direction of focused attention on any one object within the scene (see feature-integration theory). There are three categories of textons: elongated blobs, with their attendant color, orientation, and width; terminators, which convey the end of a line segment; and crossings of line segments. [proposed in the 1980s by Béla Julesz]

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Psychology term of the day

December 26th 2024

institutionalized racism

differential treatment of individuals on the basis of their racial group by religious organizations, governments, businesses, the media, educational institutions, and other large social entities. Examples include discrimination in hiring, promotion, and advancement at work; restrictive housing regulations that promote segregation; unfair portrayal of minority members in newspapers and magazines; and legal statutes that restrict the civil liberties of the members of specific racial categories. A parallel phenomenon exists for sexism. Also called institutional racism.