Fruitfulness of the Concept of Perceptual Belongingness

The aim of this work is to present the historical evolution of the concept of percep-tual belongingness developed within the theoretical framework of the Gestalt theory. This concept has been used to explain the effects of the context on colour appearance. After introducing the concept as Kurt Koffka, Wilhelm Fuchs and Wilhelm Benary have defined it we will present the first scientific reactions to it. Successively, it is shown how the concept of perceptual belongingness is central for the assimilation theory pro-posed by Cesare Musatti. Furthermore, the position of Gaetano Kanizsa is discussed. Finally, we show the connection between the concept of belongingness and that of bind-ing, developed within the feature integration theory proposed by Anne M. Treisman.