Posted on 01/06/2006 3:07:02 PM PST by blam
Humans Do Not Understand Mirror Reflections, Say Researchers
General Science : December 21, 2005 Newsletter
Psychologists at the University of Liverpool have found that people still find it difficult to understand how mirrors work.
Dr Marco Bertamini, from the University’s School of Psychology, conducted a number of experiments by covering a mirror on a wall and inviting participants to walk along a line parallel to the mirror.
He asked them to guess the point at which they would be able to see their reflection. Results showed that people believe they can see themselves even before they are level with the near edge of the mirror.
Dr Bertamini said: “People tend not to understand that the location of the viewer matters in terms of what is visible in a mirror. A good example of this is what we call the Venus Effect, which relates to the many famous paintings of the goddess Venus, looking in a small mirror.
“If you were to look at these paintings, you would assume that Venus is admiring her own face, because you see her face in the mirror. Your viewpoint, however, is rather different from hers; if you can see her in the mirror then she would see you in the mirror.”
Participants were also asked to estimate the image size of their head as it appears on the surface of the mirror. They estimated that it would be a similar size to their physical head. However, participants based their answer on the image they saw inside the mirror rather than on the image on the surface of it. They failed to recognise that the image on the surface of the mirror is half the size of the observer because a mirror is always halfway between the observer and the image that appears inside the mirror.
Dr Bertamini added: “Mirrors make us see virtual objects that exist in a virtual world; they are windows onto this world. On the one hand we trust what we see, but on the other hand this is a world that we know has no physical existence. This is one of the reasons why throughout history people have been fascinated by mirrors.”
Source: the University of Liverpool
What's to understand? I look in a mirror, I see myself. I tilt it, I see something else.
They break every time I see one. I don't understand this phenomena.
Blah, blah, blah. What is the point? Glad my tax money didn't pay for this silliness.
"Psychologists at the University of Liverpool have found that people still find it difficult to understand how mirrors work."
I know my cat hasn't figured them out
Ever notice that when you look in a mirror, right is left, but up isn't down? Why is that?
So why does it reverse left and right but not up and down?
Ah, but forward and backward are tricky
Obviously they didn't test any Democrats, who understand mirrors and smoke very well.
Humans Do Not Understand Mirror Reflections, Say Researchers
These will help...
It's because of the way you turn aroud to look at the image. If you spin around to look at it (on your "yaw" axis) it reverses left and right but not up and down. If you flip over to look at it (on your "pitch" axis) it reverses up and down but not left and right. At least, that's the way it was explained to me anyway.
"Ever notice that when you look in a mirror, right is left, but up isn't down? Why is that?"
When I look in a mirror, left is left, right is right, up is up, and down is down.
So if see myself in a mirror from six inches away, I'll be the same size as if I'm 40 feet away? Exactly half my size? How about if I'm 16 miles away?
Still half sized?
I understand that birds think there's another open area ahead of them when they fly into a mirror, but why do they want to smash their head into that other bird?
;-D
For weathercasters (because we don't use scripts) the teleprompter video is switched to 'On the Air" mode in which you see what the viewer sees.
This works out fine until you use that image to straighten your tie. You move to the left and the teleprompter image goes the opposite way.
This would be a lot easier to get used to if I'd never used a mirror which is, of course the opposite of this.
Shoulda' consulted my parakeet...who is the world authority on mirrors.
Old TV joke:
How do you tell if Bill Clinton has been using your dressing room?
Answer: If there are lip-prints all over the mirror.
Yeah? Then why does the swastika I carved on my forehead go the wrong way, huh? Huh?
Mirror doesn't really show what you really look like.
I part my hair on the left.
In the mirror I see my hair parted on the right.
To know what you actually look like you have to look at a reflection of your reflection, Or a photograph.
I know that they waste studies all the time, but this one takes the cake. I can't even believe that this was made into a study much less a story. I have not read any posts yet, but I can't wait.
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