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Adult subjects were asked to recognize a hierarchical visual stimulus (a letter) while their attention was drawn to either the global or local level of the stimulus. Event related potentials (ERP) and behavioral indices (reaction time and percentage of correct responses) were measured. An analysis of behavioral indices showed the global level precedence effect, i.e. the increase in a small letter recognition time when this letter is a part of incongruent stimulus. An analysis of ERP components showed level related (global vs. local) dif ferences in the timing and topography of the brain organization of perceptual processing and regulatory mechanisms of attention. Visual recognition at the local level was accompanied by (1) stronger activation of the visual associative areas (Pz and T 6) at the stage of sensory features analysis (P1 ERP component), (2) involvement mainly of inferior temporal cortices of the right hemisphere (T 6) at the stage of sensory catego rization (P2 ERP component), and (3) involvement of prefrontal cortex of the right hemisphere at the stage of selection of the relevant features of the target (N2 ERP component). Visual recognition at the global level was accompanied by (1) pronounced involvement of mechanisms of early sensory selection (N1 ERP com ponent), (2) prevailing activation of parietal cortex of the right hemisphere (P 4) at the stage of sensory cate gorization (P2 ERP component) as well as at the stage of the target stimulus identification (P3 ERP compo nent). We suggested that perception of the hierarchical stimulus at the global level is related primarily to the analysis of its spatial features in the dorsal visual system whereas the perception at the local level primarily involves an analysis of the object related features in the ventral visual system.

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