Figure-ground organization is the perceptual tendency to separate a visual scene into a central object—the figure—and the background against which it stands. The figure usually appears closer, more structured, and more memorable; the ground appears to extend behind it.

The assignment is not dictated solely by the stimulus. The same contours can be seen as figure or ground depending on attention, expectation, and the surrounding context. Classic reversible figures—such as the vase-faces illusion—demonstrate that the same retinal image can support two incompatible organizations, but not both at once. Shared contours are typically assigned to the figure, leaving the ground without a definite shape at the boundary.

Figure-ground segregation occurs early in visual processing and is a precondition for object recognition. Without it, the visual field remains an undifferentiated mosaic. The same principle applies, with modifications, to auditory scenes: a melody stands out against accompanying harmony or noise.

Seeing an object at all requires first deciding what is object and what is background. Figure-ground organization makes that decision.