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Theory of indispensable attributes
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<p>The theory of indispensable attributes (TIA) is a theory in the context of <a href="/facts/Perceptual_organization/8wfWwjFI">perceptual organisation</a> which asks for the functional units and elementary features that are relevant for a <a href="/facts/Perceptual_system/PCFJ0oUM">perceptual system</a> in the constitution of perceptual objects. Earlier versions of the theory emerged in the context of an application of research on <a href="/facts/Visual_system/QVcuA27K">vision</a> to <a href="/facts/Auditory_system/fJYTKjje">audition</a>, and analogies between vision and audition were emphasised, whereas in more recent writings the necessity of a <a href="/facts/Sensory_modality/L8DqWUKH">modality-general</a> theory of perceptual organisation and objecthood is stressed. </p><p>The subject of perceptual organisation, and with it TIA, constitute a prime example of how theories of <a href="/facts/Gestalt_psychology/mCFLuhYT">Gestalt psychology</a> have been taken up and kept alive in <a href="/facts/Cognitive_psychology/GnzIgx2I">cognitive psychology</a>. </p><p>TIA has been drawn on in the context of music research, in the areas of music philosophy, and systematic music theory. </p>