Wednesday, January 04, 2012 By EMILY CUNNINGHAM Op/Ed Editor [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising Perceptions      When people perceive, they are organizing and interpreting sensory information, which enables them to recognize meaningful objects and events. One thing is certain—everyone perceives images differently.     At times, an object may seem to change shape because of the angle from which it is viewed. Shape constancy allows people to perceive objects even when it they appear to be different than what is known. Even though a door may be open and appear trapezoidal, it is originally seen and known as rectangular, so people see it as that shape.     Emotions, expectations, and contexts also affect the way an object or image is perceived. Take the optical illusion with the woman and the trumpet player. Should someone be told that it is an image of a trumpet player, they will perceive it as such first, without noticing the woman. Should someone be told the opposite, they will see the woman. Another example occurs when someone is told that a pair is parent and child. Once the knowledge is there, the two begin to look more alike.       The context of an image can trick one’s brain into perceiving things differently. Think about it—a seven foot person will make a 6 foot person seem short when seen from a distance. In reality, a six foot person is generally seen as tall.     AP Psychology teacher, Mr. Mark Filiaggi says that optical illusions “trick your brain. Your brain can’t comprehend what your eyes are seeing. Your brain wants to fill in the blanks.”      This goes along with the “gestalt” principle—people naturally want to take pieces and connect them to form wholes. Sources: Myers Psychology for AP

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