Figure-ground perception

Have you ever been in a crowd trying to find a friend or in a noisy room trying to listen for one person? Your ability to pick out that one face or one sound comes from something called figure-ground perception. The particular person you are trying to see or hear is the figure and the background distraction is the crowd.

An example of this that you would be able to relate to real life would be a "Where's Waldo?" You are searching for a specific figure, Waldo, in seas of people.