{23} Wade and Swanston contrast analytic and holistic theories of pattern recognition.
In the former, patterns are thought of as collections of independently detectable characteristics; in the latter, this atomistic conception is denied.
The analytic theory is what we have in mind here.
We respond individually to the features which comprise a complex stimulation, and measure those features against an equally complex set of paradigms.
The analytic approach can help explain why two stimuli which do not look alike as wholes might still have discernible similarities in their parts.
Recent neurological research has provided strong evidence for this approach.
<i>Visual Perception</i>, (1991) p.174.