objectcentric

Object-centric is a term used across multiple disciplines to describe an approach that organizes information, systems, or perception around discrete objects rather than processes, scenes, or global states. Although the exact meaning varies by field, the common idea is to treat objects as primary units with identity, attributes, and possible interactions.

In software engineering and programming, an object-centric or object-oriented mindset models software components as objects whose state and behavior are encapsulated. Objects interact through well-defined interfaces, enabling modularity, reuse, and abstraction. Critics argue that an overemphasis on objects can complicate data-centric tasks or obscure system-level concerns if not carefully managed.

In data modeling and databases, object-centric models represent information as autonomous objects with identity, properties, and methods. This perspective underpins object-oriented databases and object-relational mapping, and it supports persistence, inheritance of structure, and explicit references between objects.

In artificial intelligence and computer vision, object-centric representations aim to parse scenes into discrete entities with properties and relationships. This contrasts with pixel- or scene-centric approaches, and it is pursued to improve generalization, compositional reasoning, and sample efficiency. Techniques include slot-based architectures, object discovery in unsupervised learning, and structured representations of scenes.

In cognitive science and psychology, object-centric theories of perception and memory posit that humans organize attention and knowledge around individual objects, rather than only about whole scenes. This perspective aligns with how people track, manipulate, and reason about objects in the world.

Overall, object-centric approaches reflect a common goal of aligning models, systems, and theories with the natural discreteness of objects in the world, while acknowledging domain-specific interpretations and challenges.