Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.05.20.106070v1?rss=1 Authors: Quek, G. L., Peelen, M. V. Abstract: Much of what we know about object recognition arises from the study of isolated objects. In the real world, however, we commonly encounter groups of contextually-associated objects (e.g., teacup, saucer), often in stereotypical spatial configurations (e.g., teacup above saucer). Here we used EEG to test whether identity-based associations between objects (e.g., teacup-saucer vs. teacup-stapler) are encoded jointly with the objects' typical relative spatial position (e.g., teacup above saucer vs. below saucer). Observers viewed a 2.5Hz image stream containing pairs of contextually-associated objects intermixed with non-associated object pairs as every fourth image. The differential response to non-associated pairs (measurable at 0.625Hz) served as an index of contextual integration, reflecting the association of object identities in each pair. This response peaked over right occipitotemporal electrodes around 300ms after onset. Importantly, this Contextual Integration Response was larger for image streams consisting of typically-positioned objects, indicating that spatial configuration facilitated the extraction of the objects' contextual association. Finally, spatial configuration had no effect for inverted displays, thus ruling out low-level accounts. These results demonstrate that contextual and spatial associations between objects interactively influence object processing. We interpret these findings as reflecting the perceptual grouping of objects that frequently co-occur in highly stereotyped relative positions. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info