An experimental comparison of viewpoint-specific and viewpoint-independentmodels of object representation

Four experiments that investigate the cognitive representation of objects i n human observers are reported. Two broad classes of theory were examined: viewpoint-specific and viewpoint-independent models. The former postulate c hat the data structures underpinning object recognition correspond to discr ete views and require additional processing to access them from unfamiliar viewpoints. The latter postulate data structures that are independent of an y particular viewpoint and can be directly accessed from a wide range of vi ewpoints. Two experimental tasks were used: a sequential matching paradigm and a cognitive learning paradigm. Findings favour viewpoint-specific model s over viewpoint-independent models.