Objective 36
Explain the
relationship between size constancy and the Muller-Lyer illusion.
Explanation:
Size constancy is how we perceive objects as having a constant size even while our distance from them varies. In the Muller-Lyer illusion three lines with the same length appear to be different lengths. Illusions show us that perception is not a projection of the world onto our brain. Our sensations are disassembled into information that our brain then reassembles into its own model of the world. During this reassembly process our assumptions, like the usual relationship between distance and size, can confuse us.
Size constancy is how we perceive objects as having a constant size even while our distance from them varies. In the Muller-Lyer illusion three lines with the same length appear to be different lengths. Illusions show us that perception is not a projection of the world onto our brain. Our sensations are disassembled into information that our brain then reassembles into its own model of the world. During this reassembly process our assumptions, like the usual relationship between distance and size, can confuse us.
Example:
This picture is of the Muller-Lyer illusion. On the top the black lines look to be different sizes, but when looking at the red lines, they seem to be the same size. Sometimes our eyes and brains tick us.
This picture is of the Muller-Lyer illusion. On the top the black lines look to be different sizes, but when looking at the red lines, they seem to be the same size. Sometimes our eyes and brains tick us.
Example:
This picture is an example of Adelbert Ames's distorted room. People look at it through a peep hole and it appears to have a normal rectangular shape. The girl in the right corner appears to be larger because we judge her size on the assumption that she is the same distance away as the girls in the left corner. The girl on the right is actually closer to us because the room is in a trapezoidal shape. It is distorted looking through the peephole.
This picture is an example of Adelbert Ames's distorted room. People look at it through a peep hole and it appears to have a normal rectangular shape. The girl in the right corner appears to be larger because we judge her size on the assumption that she is the same distance away as the girls in the left corner. The girl on the right is actually closer to us because the room is in a trapezoidal shape. It is distorted looking through the peephole.