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Through the looking-glass: Objects in the mirror are less real.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Visual Perception
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Objects in mirrors are perceived differently than directly viewed objects.
  • Reflected objects may be processed with less cognitive resources.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how reflected objects are perceived compared to directly viewed objects.
  • To determine if reflected information is discounted in visual scene processing.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1: Observers labeled objects in photographs containing mirrors. Objects were categorized as directly viewed or reflected.
  • Experiment 2: A change blindness paradigm was used to assess detection of changes in reflected vs. non-reflected objects.

Main Results:

  • Reflected objects received significantly fewer labels than non-reflected objects.
  • Changes in reflections were detected with longer reaction times and lower accuracy.
  • Unique reflected objects were labeled less often than unique non-reflected objects.

Conclusions:

  • Reflected visual information is readily discounted during the processing of natural scenes.
  • The visual system may prioritize direct perception over reflected imagery.
  • Further research can explore the implications for augmented reality and virtual environments.