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The perception of mirror-reflected objects.

W H Ittelson1, L Mowafy, D Magid

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721.

Perception
|January 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Objects appear different from their mirror images due to perceived asymmetry. This visual psychophysics study reveals apparent reversals depend on an object's structure and social conventions, not just optical reversal.

Area of Science:

  • Visual psychophysics
  • Perception science
  • Cognitive science

Background:

  • The 'mirror question' about why mirrors reverse left-right but not up-down lacks a clear answer in scientific literature.
  • Understanding how objects differ from their enantiomorphs is crucial for visual perception research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the conditions and ways objects appear to differ from their mirror reflections (enantiomorphs).
  • To explore the perceptual consequences of optical axis reversal by mirrors.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized visual psychophysics experiments with stimuli of varying complexity and familiarity.
  • Analyzed apparent reversals along multiple axes (right-left, front-back, top-bottom, oblique) based on perceived object asymmetries.

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Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that apparent reversals occur along axes of least perceived asymmetry.
  • Showed perceived asymmetry is influenced by both structural properties and socially defined canonical orientations.
  • Identified that the degree and axis of apparent reversal depend on the stimulus object's perceived asymmetries.

Conclusions:

  • An object appears to differ from its enantiomorph via an apparent reversal along the axis of least perceived asymmetry.
  • Perceptual frames of reference and the perception of symmetry are significantly impacted by these findings.
  • The study provides a psychophysical explanation for the perceived directional reversal in mirror reflections.