Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual constancy is the ability to recognize that objects remain consistent and unchanged even when their appearance varies due to changes in sensory input. There are four main types of perceptual constancy: size constancy, shape constancy, color constancy, and brightness constancy.
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance

Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...

Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect

While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?

Factors Affecting Perception

Factors Affecting Perception

Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...

Gestalt Principles of Perception

Gestalt Principles of Perception

Gestalt principles provide a framework for understanding how humans perceive objects as unified wholes within their context. These principles are essential in explaining the cognitive processes that make sense of complex visual stimuli by organizing them into coherent groups. One fundamental principle is proximity, which posits that objects located close to each other are perceived as a collective group. For instance, when dots are positioned near one another, the visual system interprets them...

Perception

Perception

Perception is a fundamental psychological process that enables individuals to organize, interpret, and consciously experience sensory information. This process is crucial for understanding and interacting with the world around us. It includes both bottom-up and top-down processing, each playing a distinct role in how we perceive our environment.
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

'See what you feel': The impact of visual scale distance in haptic-to-visual crossmodal matching.

i-Perception·2025

Same author

The Poggendorff illusion in Ruben's Descent from the Cross in Antwerp: Does the illusion even matter?

i-Perception·2022

Same author

The Interpretation of E-Motions in Faces and Bodies Derived from Static Artworks by Individuals with High Functioning Autistic Spectrum.

Vision (Basel, Switzerland)·2021

Same author

Asymmetric Brightness Effects With Dark Versus Light Glare-Like Stimuli.

i-Perception·2021

Same author

See What You Feel: A Crossmodal Tool for Measuring Haptic Size Illusions.

i-Perception·2020

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2025

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

Illusion as a Cognitive Clash Rooted in Perception.

Daniele Zavagno¹

¹Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy.

Journal of Intelligence

|November 24, 2023

Summary

Illusions offer insights into perception, not as errors but as cognitive clashes. This phenomenological view highlights how comparing actual and expected perceptions reveals underlying cognitive processes.

Keywords:

Gestalt psychology cognitivism ecological theory illusions perception phenomenology reality veridicality

More Related Videos

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 10, 2025

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Applying Incongruent Visual-Tactile Stimuli during Object Transfer with Vibro-Tactile Feedback

Published on: May 23, 2019

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Neuroscience
Philosophy of Mind

Background:

Illusions are traditionally viewed as errors in perception, stemming from inadequate sensory information.
Existing frameworks (ecological, cognitive) link illusions to the concept of veridicality—accurately perceiving the external world.

Purpose of the Study:

To re-evaluate the conceptualization of perceptual illusions.
To explore illusions not as sensory errors but as indicators of cognitive comparison processes.

Main Methods:

Phenomenological analysis of illusion experience.
Theoretical framework contrasting ecological/cognitive views with a phenomenological stance.

Main Results:

Illusion experience is determined by comparing actual perception with expected perception based on prior knowledge.
Illusions are not necessarily errors but arise from a cognitive clash between perceived and hypothesized reality.

Conclusions:

Perceptual illusions provide valuable insights into cognitive processes beyond sensory perception.
A phenomenological approach reframes illusions as crucial tools for understanding cognitive comparison and knowledge-based perception.