The Use of Iambic Pentameter in the

principles that are depicted more globally in interface displays tend to be utilized in
shorter stimulus durations.
At the conclusion of the three pilot experiments, Schulz and Sanocki (2002)
continued to improve the experimental stimuli. One area of concern was the use of the
Gestalt principle of color similarity as the global grouping principle in the stimuli. While
color similarity grouping in the displays seemed to be naturally more global than
connectedness grouping, it was difficult to operationally define this. How much more
global was color similarity when compared to connectedness? Furthermore, color was
depicted as being part of the pushbuttons whereas connectedness was depicted as
independent of these buttons.
The preceding issues motivated several changes to the design of the experimental
stimuli in the present study. First, Schulz and Sanocki (2002) decided that color similarity
was not the best grouping principle to use in the experimental stimuli, because it was
difficult to define and manipulate the global magnitude of the color. Rather, a new
grouping principle of common region was used for the present experimental displays.
Common region was chosen because it is a global principle that could be depicted as
being independent of the pushbuttons, much like the Gestalt principle of connectedness.
In addition to making some changes to the types of Gestalt principles used in the
displays and the global and local depictions of these principles, rules were created to
define how Gestalt principles could be classified as global or local scene properties.
These rules were used as a guide in stimulus creation. Prior researchers have defined
65