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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments

Generating Strictly Controlled Stimuli for Figure Recognition Experiments

Published on: March 18, 2019

Creativity and ease of ambiguous figural reversal.

Richard Wiseman¹, Caroline Watt, Kenneth Gilhooly

¹School of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts, UK Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)

|July 15, 2011

Summary

This study links creative ability and the perception of ambiguous figures like the Duck-Rabbit. Findings suggest a connection between creativity and how easily individuals see alternative interpretations.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Psychology of Creativity

Background:

The connection between figural reversal (perceiving alternative interpretations of ambiguous figures) and creativity has been largely analogical.
Previous research has not empirically established a direct link between creative ability and the ease of perceiving alternative interpretations.

Purpose of the Study:

To empirically investigate the relationship between creative ability and the ease of perceiving alternative interpretations of ambiguous figures.
To explore the potential cognitive mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Main Methods:

Two studies were conducted involving participants who completed measures of self-rated and objectively measured creative ability.
Participants also performed tasks assessing their ease of perceiving alternative interpretations of the ambiguous Duck-Rabbit figure.

Main Results:

Empirical support was found for a connection between creative ability (both self-rated and objectively measured) and the ease of perceiving alternative interpretations.
The findings validate the link between figural reversal and creativity, extending beyond previous analogical associations.

Conclusions:

The ease of perceiving alternative interpretations of ambiguous figures is empirically linked to creative ability.
Executive functioning is hypothesized as a potential common cognitive factor mediating the relationship between ambiguous figure perception and creativity.