Emergence

Emergence is the principle by which the global configuration of a stimulus is often perceived in the absence of its local component features. This picture is familiar in vision circles because it reveals the principle of emergence in most compelling form.

For those who have never seen the picture before, it appears initially as a random pattern of irregular shapes. A remarkable transformation is observed as soon as you recognize it as a Dalmation dog in patchy sunlight in the shade of overhanging trees.

What is remarkable is that the dog is perceived so vividly even though much of its perimeter is missing. Furthermore, edges which are part of the perimeter of the dog are locally indistinguishable from other less significant edges. The same principle of emergence is seen in these examples of "global precidence", that is, the global organization is perceived before the local elements of which it is composed.