In figure-ground discrimination we must be aware of the figure, the ground and their relation.
But in observing the shoe, if the heel doesn’t register in my thought process, it is of no value as a characteristic (semantic feature) which could be used for comparisons.
- 2. The observer must retain some awareness of the ground. If I become so engrossed in the heel that I totally forget the shoe, then my focus has changed and the heel has become the sole (no pun intended) focus of my thought processes.
This is of no value either in developing a useful concept of a shoe.
3. The observer must not lose sight of the relationship between the figure and the ground. It must be remembered that the heel is related to(part of) the shoe. Children (and adults) can forget this relationship.
I once was working on speech with a first grader. We had a good rapport, and he was bright enough to recognize I was bigger than he was.