Seeing isn't Believing

If you were asked what the shape on the left was the most likely answer was a number three.

But place exactly the same figure in a different context - among letters - then it can be read as a B, even though it does not have the upright bar expected with the letter B. This is what occurs if its is part of Titbits.

Sometime in 1968 the Titbits banner heading was changed to that on the right, presumably because someone liked their titbits to be complete. This example indicates that the world is not just simply what it appears to be. What is 'seen' is constructed and represents an accommodation between what is known and the information received through the visual sense. A few examples from classic psychology experiments are shown below to illustrate that we take into account the context when we 'see' information and that it is the context that 'determines' what is 'seen'.

In the first example there is a character rather like the B in the original Titbits title. But when one reads across, rather than down, instead of being 'seen' as a letter it is read as the number 13 because of the context it is in. Similarly the example with what is normally read as H in the word THE contains a character that could just as easily be read as an A if the surrounding letters were C and T as in the word CAT.

The following sections take this type of explanation of visual perception a stage further to demonstrate how and why semi-subliminal elements of ads are often overlooked and yet are subject to the same rules of perception as other images. They may thus possibly influence those who view them.

Visual Perception

The visual system is extremely complex and it is impossible to do it justice on this site. Interested readers are recommended to view the article in the edition of the Geographic magazine containing the original of this small scale reproduction. Alternatively any psychology textbook or textbook on perception will provide stimulating reading. A number of these are listed on the Psychology Bibliography. The sections below can only give a brief indication of how we can be both fooled by visual information and how even ambiguous information can be interpreted meaningfully. There is also an indication of how such ambiguity, when presented in adverts, need not prevent automatic processes from extracting some information, even if this never reaches conscious awareness.

Language and Images

The two lists of images and titles are the basis for a simple experiment that can demonstrate that how we name images affects how we remember them and also how we might draw what we remember. Note that each list has identical images. What differs is simply the label that is attached to each image.

When people are shown either one or other list and then asked to recall what they have seen it is almost invariably the case that what they recall is influenced by the label associated with it. The first image in each case is a rough diamond shape within a square but note that the lines of the 'diamond' are slightly curved. When viewers recall this list the lines are straightened in any drawing that they produce. In contrast when viewers are given the list with the label curtains in window they draw even more enhanced curves to make their drawing much more like 'curtains in a window'. Similar results apply to most of the items on the list. When individuals are tested the results are generally not as powerful as when two groups of people are compared. However, there usually are sufficient differences even with an individual trying to recall images to make this a powerful reminder that we do not simply see things.

The conclusion that is drawn on the basis of such studies is that we do not simply remember shapes, we associate them with language. And, if we label objects, then it is the label or name that may influence our judgements of what we 'see'. Hence, when viewing ambiguous stimuli or embedded words in ads it is our previous knowledge that will, in part, determine what we perceive. Advertising agencies are, of course, familiar with this and other aspects of psychology and they would be remiss if they did not make use of their knowledge to facilitate sales. However, when they cross the boundary into using embedded and other manipulative techniques then this is surely unacceptable.