The purpose of this experiment was to study the contribution of oculom
otor process to visual image construction, visual image generation and
visual recognition of a figure. A reversible figure such as a Necker
cube teas presented to subjects. In the first part of the experiment,
scanning of the figures's outlines was varied along opposite direction
s. In the second part, both perspective possibilities of the ambiguous
figure were simultaneously presented and subjects had to recognize th
e one they scanned. According to the choice they expressed, the perspe
ctive subjects recognition depended on, the way they scanned the ambig
uous figure. When recognizing, subjects serially imaged parts of the s
hape. These data are suggestive of a shape recognition process through
assimilation to an oculomotor program, whose execution is controlled
by visual perceptual trace.