Distortions in perception

Question 1

fabiability

Answer 1

the tendency to make mistakes

Question 2

is our visual perception perfect

Answer 2

no, it is fallible due to expectations from prior experience or errors can also arise from the stimulus itself or/and from how the sennsory information is processed in the brain

Question 3

visual illusions

Answer 3

when the perception of a visual stimulus conflicts/differs it is in physical reality/objective reality, most people percieve visual illusions in the same away

Question 4

is the illusion effecr unavoidable

Answer 4

yes, even when we know we at looking at an illusion our perception is still confused, demostrating its fability

Question 5

what illusions are we required to know

Answer 5

tthe muller lyer illusion, ames room illusion and spinner dancer illusion

Question 6

muller lyer illusion

Answer 6

the misinterpretation of two lines of equal length, each with differnt shaped ends (arrowhead/featthertail)

Question 7

two explanations for muller lyer illusion

Answer 7

biological explanation, social explanation (carpentered-world hypothesis) and apparent distance theory

Question 8

biological explanation of muller lyer

Answer 8

due to convergence, however this theory is no longer supported

Question 9

why is the biological explanation of muller lyer not supported

Answer 9

because research has shown that the mullerlyer illusion still persists even if there is no eye movement

Question 10

how does convergence cause us to view the arrowhead tail as shorter

Answer 10

the arrowheads cause the eyes to turn inwards, creating more tension in the muscles surrounding the eyes, and causing us to percieve tthe line as being closer to us

Question 11

how does convergence cause us to view the feathertail lines as longer

Answer 11

the feathertail line causes the eye to turn outwards, creating less tension and leading us to percieve the line is further away and therefore longer

Question 12

carpentered world hypothesis

Answer 12

illusion due to culture, the perception of the two lines is influenced by ones familiarity with modern, western building designs

Question 13

why does the carpentered world hypothesis make us view tthe feeathertail lines as longer

Answer 13

internal walls have a feathertail shape which are seen as further away and therefore onger

Question 14

why does the carpentered world hypothesis make us view the arrowhead tail as shorter

Answer 14

external walls have an arrowhead tail shape and are percieved as closer to us so are therefore viewwed as shorterr

Question 15

how was the carpentered walls hypothesis proved

Answer 15

people who have grown up in cultures in which society is restricted by internal walls are more likely to be tricked those who have grown up in cultures with non-rectunagular designs

Question 16

apparent distance theory

Answer 16

if two objects cast the same sized retinal image, but one is percieved to be further away, our brain interprets the more distant object as larger

Question 17

what visual process is used in the apparent disatnce theory

Answer 17

size constancy

Question 18

how does tha apparent distance theory apply to the muller lyer illusion

Answer 18

our brain uses top-down processing to make sense that the more distant feathertail line can only project the same-sized retinal image as the arrowhead line if it is longer

Question 19

why are the carpented world theory and apparent distance theory limited in explaing the muller-lyer illusion

Answer 19

because even if the arrowheads/feathertails are replaced with different differntly shaped ends and therefore when turned on their side, would not create percieved depth as a result of familiarity with western building design

Question 20

what is the ames room illusion

Answer 20

an illusion in which a person views two people in a special ames room through a peephole using only one eye. the person on the left of the room appears much tinnier than the person on the right even though they are both normal sized

Question 21

how does an ames room work

Answer 21

by using the peephole, it prevents the person from using both eyes and therefore binosular depth cues which is importnat for percieving relative distance of objects

Question 22

ames room explanation

Answer 22

is often explained with reference to perceptual constancy. the observer has no access to binocular depth cues and therefore cannot perceive that the far left corner of the room is actually further away. This creates the illusion of a standard rectangular room. This shape is maintained by shape constancy, but then must account for the size of the people in the room relative to the height of the walls. This is why we see the people as shrinking or growing as they move around the room

Question 23

what reinforces the assumption that a room is rectangular in the ames room

Answer 23

by top-down processing where the observer has been raised in a culture in which rooms tend to be rectangular –this is what they expect to see.

Question 24

what is the spinner dancer illusion

Answer 24

an illusion in which a dancer can be percieved as spinning clockwise or anticlockwise and the same viewer can alternate between percieving a clockwise or anticlockwise spin

Question 25

what influences which way you see the dancer spin

Answer 25

whether you interpret the dancer as standing on her left or right leg, depending on the angle from which viewing the gif and what features of the image are being focused on

Question 26

bistable perception

Answer 26

the ability to spontaneously switch between two different interpretations of the same ambiguous visual stimulus

Question 27

ability to switch between seeing the dancer spinning clockwise or anticlockwise

Answer 27

bistable perception

Question 28

what has research shown about the spinner danecr illusion

Answer 28

people are more likely to perceive the dancer as spinning clockwise initially
if someone sees the dancer spinning anticlockwise initially, they are significantly more likely to then reverse the perceived spin to clockwise
the perception of clockwise spin is more likely when the image is viewed from above; anticlockwise spin is more likely to be perceived when the image is viewed from below.