Everyday you use your perception of what you think you saw to describe an event,action, piece of art, etc, Right? You begin by saying ‘I saw. . ‘ or ‘There was. . . ‘ What if you heard someone who was looking at that exact painting or sculpture or tree describe it in a completely different manner. Instead of sharp lines they saw stairs. Instead of two faces they say a vase. This happens because each person has a different perception. Some tend to see the picture as whole while others are seeing individual pieces of a larger picture.
(http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/mjodonnell/cojo232/gestalt/gs07.html)
– In the above images what do you see? Is it two faces? or a vase?
The definition of Gestalt Psychology is the study of perception and behavior from the standpoint of an individual’s response to configuration wholes with stress on the uniformity of psychological and physiological events and rejection of analysis into discrete events of stimulus, perception, and response. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gestalt%20psychology) A much simpler definition is that because of each individuals past, attitude, and preconceived thoughts they can view a simple photograph as a completely different image from someone else that has a different past, attitude, or preconceived thoughts.
– In this image what do you see?
(http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/the-gestalt-principle-design-theory-for-web-designers–webdesign-1756)
Take this picture for example. When I first look at this picture i see an older couple engaging in each other. You may see two people playing music with curtains,buildings etc. in the background. Our perceptions are different even though we are looking at the exact same picture. This can have many factors that plays into what we see. I am looking at the picture as a whole while others may be able to look at the picture in more detail and see the images without the picture.
In conclusion our perception and history have much to do with what we see everyday. Because of our environmental influences and surroundings, our upbringing and beliefs; we all see through our own eyes. And through all eyes you begin to have more than once perception of what they think they saw. There is certainly more than one side to every story.
This is a very interesting topic to think about. I never really considered why people might see illusions differently. I think it is just general nature to assume that if people do not see the same thing as you then they are “wrong.” It makes me wonder what could be a factor in which illusion is seen first. In your second illusion I also saw the old couple looking at each other first. It took a harder look to see the men playing instruments. It is clear by the sombreros that it is probably a Mexican related scene. I wonder if natives of Mexico would see that first as it relates better to them?
I found a small study (in a classroom setting by a young student that is not technically “statistically significant” but raises another interesting question. In the study s/he wanted to see if optical illusions were perceived differently between boys and girls. S/he used an illusion that hid seven faces. S/he found that all of the boys found all the the faces with no problem but that only 1/3 of the girls found all seven faces. The researcher assumes she got this result because the girls were over thinking and were “not sure if that was really a face or not” where the guys appeared to go with their instinct (Do girls perceive 2010).
This is sort of explained with Gestalt’s Laws of Organization as well as the Law of Familiarity. This means that “things that form patterns that are familiar or meaningful are likely to be grouped together (Cognitive Psychology, pg. 60).” It shows that at first glance we see (or it would be assumed that most people see) the old couple first. But as we recognize other patterns, example being that the old man’s ear looks like a doorway, then we are able to open up to other possibilities of things that look familiar and the old couple is pushed to the background to bring the new scene forward.
Illusions are always fun to look at anyway but it would be really fascinating to put it all together and find out if there is a gender, ethnic, or age relation between how things are perceived and that could most likely be incorporated into every day life and how individuals perceive certain situations.
Do girls perceive optical illusions at a higher percentage rate than boys. (2010, January 1). Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://siriusscience.pbworks.com/w/page/19367786/Do girls perceive optical illusions at a higher percentage rate than boys
Goldstein, E. (2011). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (3rd ed.). Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.