Exercise 1. Match the figures to the text. Use the context, visual clues and word derivation.

UNIT 1

LESSON 1

READING TECHNIQUES

Exercise 1. Match the figures to the text. Use the context, visual clues and word derivation.

1. Some of the problems of seeing three-dimensional forms on a two-dimensional surface are illustrated by the “impossible figure”. This drawing appears as a U at the bottom, but has three prongs at the top. Incompatible information is given to the eyes and the brain cannot decide how to interpret it.

2. Organizing stimuli into “figure” and “ground” is basic to stimulus patterning, even thought the figure and ground may reverse from one moment to the next. The reversible goblet is a demonstration of a figure-ground reversal. Note that either the light portion (the goblet) or the dark portion (two profiles) can be perceived as a figure against a background and seems more solid and well-defined.

3. The figure in the center is ambiguous, and the way we see it depends on whether we look from left to right or from top to bottom. It illustrates the role of context in perception. The center of the figure can be seen either as the letter B or the number 13, depending on the context in which it appears.

4. As you study the figure, you will see that your perception of it changes. You will find that the surface sometimes appears as the front of the figure and sometimes as the back. Once you have observed the cube change perspective, it will jump back and forth between the two perspectives without any effort on your part. In fact you will probably find it impossible to maintain a steady fixation on only one aspect of the transparent cube. The illusion was devised in 1832 by the Swiss naturalist L.A. Necker.

Fig. A Fig. B Fig. C Fig. D

Exercise 2. In the following text several words have been taken out. Read the text carefully and supply the missing words from the list below.

CONTEXT AND EXPERIENCE

Textbooks on … are filled with examples demonstrating that the same … can give rise to different percepts, depending on the … in which it is observed and the past … of the observer. Figure D illustrates the role of … in perception. The center of the figure can be seen … as the letter B … the number 13, depending on the … in which it appears. Similarly past experience influences perceptual hypotheses we form when we see something for the … time. Remember the ambiguous drawing of the young woman/old woman. On first viewing, about 65 … of people report seeing a pretty young woman, and 35 … see an unattractive … woman. But if we first show a group of subjects a set of unambiguous pictures all depicting … women and then show them the … picture, they almost always see it as a young woman. The … can be demonstrated by first showing subjects a set of … all showing … women.

(stimulus, first, either, context, reverse, or, ambiguous, old, perception, pictures, young, percept, experience)

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