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Does Our Mind’s Eye Match Real Life? Study Shows Differences in How We Perceive Images
Significance
- Study shows many adults resist seeing vision as flat images.
- Participants perceived real-world views differently from 2D photos.
- Vision is processed beyond mere appearance in our brains.
- Our brain resists seeing visual input without mental correction.
- New research uncovers resistance to visualizing uncorrected sensory input.
Study reveals individual differences in how we perceive and imagine visual images we have seen in real life.
The 3D World Reduced to 2D
We are all used to seeing the 3D world of real life reduced to 2D, be it in art, photography, or film.
Visualizing the Unseen
But, when our eyes are shut, how do we visualize things that we have already seen?
The Study’s Objective
A new study led by the Universities of Plymouth and Essex investigated the matter. The study revealed that many adults are resistant to imagining their own vision as if it were a flat image – seeing it in its fully processed, knowledge-laden form instead.
Methodology of the Study
The study was carried out by observing 58 adults. The researchers showed them two lines on a wall, both of which were of the same length but one was closer to the participant and hence appeared visually longer.
Assessing Visual Perception in Real Life
The researchers instructed the participants to base their judgments on appearance specifically, meaning that the closer line should appear longer. This instruction aimed to assess their immediate visual perception, highlighting how distance can affect our understanding of size and length.
Disconnect in Perception
Despite this guidance, approximately half of the participants judged the two lines to appear the same length. This finding suggests a disconnect between instructed perception and actual visual interpretation, raising questions about how we perceive relative size.
The Impact of 2D Representation in Real Life
Next, the researchers asked the participants to take a photo of the lines. When they reviewed the image, their responses changed, and the closer line now appeared longer. This shift indicates that the context of a 2D representation can alter perceptions of length, demonstrating the complexity of visual processing.
Resistance to Change
However, when the researchers asked participants again about their own view, they reverted to their original response. This resistance to change underscores the challenges of aligning direct sensory input with learned visual information, revealing insights into how we process and interpret our surroundings.
Proximal Representations of Vision in Real Life
This indicates that even when participants clearly understood what a 2D image of their vision might look like, they treated actual sensory input differently—showing considerable resistance to seeing what we call our “proximal representations” of vision (how things appear before our brains have a chance to correct for factors like relative size and distance).
References
Image: IStock.
Source: Plow One. Steven Samuel, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom, Department of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
