Can we trust our senses?

From your reading, explain the following: Confirmation bias Argument ad ignorantiam The paradox of cartography (map-making)

Confirmation bias

Argument ad ignorantiam

The paradox of cartography (map-making)

Compare Notes

Compare Notes

Perception is influenced by our Expectations Perception is more than just “capturing” an image It is also about processing We assume ‘normal’ text and so filter out abnormalities

Perception is influenced by our Expectations

Perception is more than just “capturing” an image

It is also about processing

We assume ‘normal’ text and so filter out abnormalities

How many times does the letter F appear in the following sentence? (You have 10 seconds.) FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS

How many times does the letter F appear in the following sentence? (You have 10 seconds.) FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS F INISHED F ILES ARE THE RE-SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI F -IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS F INISHED F ILES ARE THE RE-SULT O F YEARS O F SCIENTI F -IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE O F YEARS

Perception is influenced by Language bbc.co.uk

Perception is influenced by Language

“ Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaert in what oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe. Ceehiro!”

How we name something changes how we perceive it

Fascinated by what was happening

Bored by what was happening

Perception is influenced by Language bbc.co.uk

Perception is influenced by Language

Seeing is interpreting Perception involves the search for meaning and patterns All seeing is seeing as…

Seeing is interpreting

Perception involves the search for meaning and patterns

All seeing is seeing as…

How should we see this shape? How can adding 3 lines change our perception?

Where does this 3 rd dimension come from? Is it the inside or outside of a cube? Or is it still a hexagon?

Where does this 3 rd dimension come from?

Is it the inside or outside of a cube?

Or is it still a hexagon?

Optical Illusions Our mind makes sense of something which is impossible

Our mind makes sense of something which is impossible

M. C. Escher

Digital Harbour Port 1010, in Melbourne, Australia Café Wall Illusion

Count the black spots. How many are there?

Ambiguity

Context helps us resolve ambiguity

Context helps us resolve ambiguity

Some people see one thing, other people see something else We can adjust how we see and what we see so that we see things differently Seeing is interpreting Perception involves the search for meaning and patterns All seeing is seeing as… Optical Illusions

Some people see one thing, other people see something else

We can adjust how we see and what we see so that we see things differently

Seeing is interpreting

Perception involves the search for meaning and patterns

All seeing is seeing as…

Old woman or Young woman?

Man or Woman?

Figure-Ground Ambiguity

Acoustical Illusions Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven Forwards If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now, it’s just a spring clean for the May queen. Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there’s still time to change the road you’re on.

Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven

Forwards

If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow,

don't be alarmed now,

it’s just a spring clean for the May queen.

Yes there are two paths you can go by,

but in the long run

there’s still time to change the road you’re on.

Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven Reverse with lyrics Oh here’s to my sweet Satan. The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is satan. He’ll give those with him 666, there was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.

Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven

Reverse

with lyrics

Oh here’s to my sweet Satan.

The one whose little path would make me sad,

whose power is satan.

He’ll give those with him 666,

there was a little tool shed where he made us suffer,

sad Satan.

Visual Grouping Tendency to look for meaning in what we see and group our perceptions into shapes and patterns

Tendency to look for meaning in what we see and group our perceptions into shapes and patterns

Can we trust our senses? Perception is influenced by our expectations Perception is influenced by language Perception is interpretation (all perception is perception as…) We can adjust how we perceive things We use context to resolve ambiguity Perception is limited by our biology

Perception is influenced by our expectations

Perception is influenced by language

Perception is interpretation (all perception is perception as…)

We can adjust how we perceive things

We use context to resolve ambiguity

Perception is limited by our biology

Our perception is limited by the nature of our sense organs

Our perception is limited by the nature of our sense organs

What we do not see What we see

Geordi La Forge from Star Trek: The Next Generation

Why don’t we perceive things which happen very fast or very slow? Théodore Géricault’s “The Epsom Derby”

What film reveals about how horses run

Our perception is limited by the nature of our sense organs

Our perception is limited by the nature of our sense organs

Our perception is limited by the way our brains work (or fail to work)

Our perception is limited by the way our brains work (or fail to work)

Visual agnosia (the inability to recognize familiar objects or faces ) “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales” by Oliver Sacks

(the inability to recognize familiar objects or faces )

“The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales” by Oliver Sacks

Autistic Savants Autism = psychological impairment meaning that has limitations in ability to interact socially or communicate Savant = have one or more areas of expertise, ability or brilliance that are in contrast with the individual's overall limitations

Autism = psychological impairment meaning that has limitations in ability to interact socially or communicate

Savant = have one or more areas of expertise, ability or brilliance that are in contrast with the individual's overall limitations

Synaesthesia a neurologically based phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway e.g. grapheme -> color synesthesia when seeing numbers or letters leads to simultaneous perception of colours

a neurologically based phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway

e.g. grapheme -> color synesthesia when seeing numbers or letters leads to simultaneous perception of colours

Filmmaker Stephanie Morgenstern "A few years ago, I mentioned to a friend that I remembered phone numbers by their colour. He said "So you're a synesthete!" I hadn't heard of synesthesia (which means something close to 'sense-fusion') – I only knew that numbers seemed naturally to have colours: five is blue, two is green, three is red… And music has colours too: the key of C# minor is a sharp, tangy yellow, F major is a warm brown..."

Nobel prize winning physicist, Richard Feynman When I see equations, I see the letters in colours – I don't know why. As I'm talking, I see vague pictures of Bessel functions from Jahnke and Emde's book, with light-tan js, slightly violet-bluish ns, and dark brown xs flying around. And I wonder what the hell it must look like to the students."[

Pareidolia psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (e.g. an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon, and hearing hidden messages on records played in reverse.

psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (e.g. an image or sound) being perceived as significant.

Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon, and hearing hidden messages on records played in reverse.

A cloud formation that some have interpreted as a the face of God

A satellite photo of Mars, taken in 1976, with shadows creating the famous Face on Mars

A satellite photo of Mars, taken in 2006, with higher resolution and different lighting conditions

Sold on eBay for $28,000

Faces in the smoke of 9/11

“ People may ask themselves, why would there be faces in the smoke, and also, why so many? I believe I know the answer to that question. Demons can feel and experience things like we can. Consider that picture of the demon below that has its head sticking up like it is on some kind of rollercoaster ride. An act of hatred and violence is a thrill ride for a demon, they not only participate, in so far as influencing someone to commit acts of violence, they get a thrill during the act. Demons knew what was going to happen in New York and they gathered there to jump in at the point of the impact, like a human jumping onto a moving train to have a thrill. ” From www.christianmedia.us

Apophenia the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data e.g. hearing a ringing phone whilst taking a shower (The noise produced by the running water gives a random background from which the patterned sound of a ringing phone might be 'produced'. )

the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data

How should we explain christianmedia’s explanation of the faces in the smoke? Their perception is influenced by their expectations? Their perception is influenced by their language? All perception is interpretation? They have adjusted how they perceive things? Their perception is limited by human willingness to see faces where there are none?

Their perception is influenced by their expectations?

Their perception is influenced by their language?

All perception is interpretation?

They have adjusted how they perceive things?

Their perception is limited by human willingness to see faces where there are none?

Perception in Science Prosper-René Blondlot 1903: announced he had discovered N rays, a new species of radiation – photographic evidence About 120 scientists said they also had seen them

Prosper-René Blondlot

1903: announced he had discovered N rays, a new species of radiation – photographic evidence

About 120 scientists said they also had seen them

Richard Wood proved N rays did not exist Removed an essential prism from the apparatus, but Blondlot still claimed to see the rays Substituted the materials being used for one which was not supposed to give off N rays – but Blondlot still saw them experimenter's bias bias towards a particular result – produced because the human experimenter is expecting to see that result e.g. because it is expected for a certain result to be produced, or for a certain theory to hold true

Richard Wood proved N rays did not exist

Removed an essential prism from the apparatus, but Blondlot still claimed to see the rays

Substituted the materials being used for one which was not supposed to give off N rays – but Blondlot still saw them

experimenter's bias

bias towards a particular result – produced because the human experimenter is expecting to see that result

e.g. because it is expected for a certain result to be produced, or for a certain theory to hold true

Perception in Science Discovery of Penicillin Fleming saw what others had seen – but interpreted it differently

Discovery of Penicillin

Fleming saw what others had seen – but interpreted it differently

Can we trust our senses? Perception is influenced by our expectations Perception is influenced by language Perception is interpretation (all perception is perception as…) We can adjust how we perceive things We use context to resolve ambiguity Perception is limited by our biology/neurobiology

Perception is influenced by our expectations

Perception is influenced by language

Perception is interpretation (all perception is perception as…)

We can adjust how we perceive things

We use context to resolve ambiguity

Perception is limited by our biology/neurobiology

How is this relevant to us? In Natural Sciences? In Human Sciences? (Hist, Geog, Psych, Philos) In Art? In everyday life?

In Natural Sciences?

In Human Sciences? (Hist, Geog, Psych, Philos)

In Art?

In everyday life?

How can you stop the waves? This is not an animation. But it moves.

How does it work? How does it look like it is moving and why does it stop moving when you concentrate on one spot?

How does it work?

How does it look like it is moving and why does it stop moving when you concentrate on one spot?

Research Prosopagnosia Capgras delusion Schizophrenia Erotomania Fregoli delusion Cotard delusion Somatoparaphrenia Pseudopregnancy Mirrored self-misidentification

Prosopagnosia

Capgras delusion

Schizophrenia

Erotomania

Fregoli delusion

Cotard delusion

Somatoparaphrenia

Pseudopregnancy

Mirrored self-misidentification