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Human visual grouping processes consolidate independent visual objects into grouped visual features on the basis of shared characteristics; these visual features can themselves be grouped, resulting in a hierarchical representation of visual grouping information. This “grouping hierarchy“ promotes ef- ficient attention in the support of goal-directed behavior, but improper grouping of elements of a visual scene can also re- sult in critical behavioral errors. Understanding of how visual object/features characteristics such as size and form influences perception of hierarchical visual groups can further theory of human visual grouping behavior and contribute to effective in- terface design. In the present study, participants provided free- response groupings of a set of stimuli that contained consistent structural relationships between a limited set of visual features. These grouping patterns were evaluated for relationships be- tween specific characteristics of the constituent visual features and the distribution of features across levels of the indicated grouping hierarchy. We observed that while the relative size of the visual features differentiated groupings across levels of the grouping hierarchy, the form of visual objects and features was more likely to distinguish separate groups within a partic- ular level of hierarchy. These consistent relationships between visual feature characteristics and placement within a grouping hierarchy can be leveraged to advance computational theories of human visual grouping behavior, which can in turn be ap- plied to effective design for interfaces such as voter ballots. 

Human visual grouping processes consolidate independent visual objects into grouped visual features on the basis of shared characteristics; these visual features can themselves be grouped, resulting in a hierarchical representation of visual grouping information. This “grouping hierarchy“ promotes ef- ficient attention in the support of goal-directed behavior, but improper grouping of elements of a visual scene can also re- sult in critical behavioral errors. Understanding of how visual object/features characteristics such as size and form influences perception of hierarchical visual groups can further theory of human visual grouping behavior and contribute to effective in- terface design. In the present study, participants provided free- response groupings of a set of stimuli that contained consistent structural relationships between a limited set of visual features. These grouping patterns were evaluated for relationships be- tween specific characteristics of the constituent visual features and the distribution of features across levels of the indicated grouping hierarchy. We observed that while the relative size of the visual features differentiated groupings across levels of the grouping hierarchy, the form of visual objects and features was more likely to distinguish separate groups within a partic- ular level of hierarchy. These consistent relationships between visual feature characteristics and placement within a grouping hierarchy can be leveraged to advance computational theories of human visual grouping behavior, which can in turn be ap- plied to effective design for interfaces such as voter ballots.