Whenever you think about illusions, names of magicians such as HarryHoudini and David Copperfield probably come to mind. However, in thevisual system, illusions are often evidence of how the perceptual system“changes” what was actually detected by the sensory system.
Experience teaches us to expect certainperceptual relationships among stimuli. Illusions often take advantageof these expectations.
Access the CogLab demonstration “Müller-Lyer” and follow the instructions to complete the demonstration.
Based on the demonstration, respond to the following:
- Describe how difficult this task was in your opinion. How accurate do you think you were in this task?
- Looking at your individual data, explain whether your results support the feelings you had about your performance.
- Describe what your data would look like if yousuppose that the wings of the comparison line were drawn inward insteadof outward in the demonstration.
- Describe an everyday situation that could partly explain the Müller-Lyer illusion.
Write your initial response in 300–500 words. A
