Fig. 1 shows a stage set viewed through a marked doorway. Two actors of equal height stand at opposite corners of the room, yet one appears much larger to a...
Question 1 Report
Fig. 1 shows a stage set viewed through a marked doorway. Two actors of equal height stand at opposite corners of the room, yet one appears much larger to an audience member at the doorway. A theatre researcher uses the room to demonstrate how misleading depth cues can alter perception.
(a) Name the type of room shown in Fig. 1. [1]
(b) Explain why the actors appear to have different heights. [3]
(c) Use Gregory's theory to explain why the audience member is deceived. [3]
(d) Outline one practical use of knowledge about this illusion. [2]
Answer Details
(a) Ames room [1] (b) The room is physically distorted / one corner is farther away than it appears [1]; the audience assumes the room is rectangular [1]; this false size-distance information makes one equal-sized actor appear larger [1]. (c) The brain actively interprets ambiguous sensory information [1]; it uses prior knowledge that rooms usually have parallel walls / right angles [1]; this hypothesis is wrong for the unusual room, causing the illusion [1]. (d) Any one from: theatre or film special effects [1]; teaching demonstrations of perception [1]; designing visual displays where apparent size is important [1].
Download The App On Google Playstore
Everything you need to excel in your exams
