48 • CHAPTER 3 Perception

Why can two different

people experience

different perceptions in

response to exactly the

same stimulus? (57)

How does perception

depend on a person’s

knowledge about

characteristics of the

environment? (63)

How does the brain

become tuned to respond

best to things that are

likely to appear in the

environment? (66)

Are there neurons in

the visual system that

might help us understand

other people’s actions?

(75)

Some Questions We Will Consider

C

rystal begins her run along the beach just as the sun is rising over

the ocean. She loves this time of day, both because it is cool and because the

mist rising from the sand creates a mystical effect. As she looks down the

beach, she notices something about 100 yards away that wasn’t there yester-

day. “What an interesting piece of driftwood,” she thinks, although it is diffi cult to see

because of the mist and dim lighting (● Figure 3.1a). As she approaches the object, she

begins to doubt her initial perception, and just as she is wondering whether it might

not be driftwood, she realizes that it is, in fact, the old beach umbrella that was lying

under the lifeguard stand yesterday (Figure 3.1b). When she realizes this, she is amazed

at what has happened. “Driftwood transformed into an umbrella, right before my

eyes,” she thinks.

Continuing down the beach, she passes some tangled rope that appears to be aban-

doned (Figure 3.1c). She stops to check it out. Grabbing one end, she fl ips the rope and

sees that, as she suspected, it is one continuous strand. But she needs to keep running,

(a) (b) (c)

● (^) FIGURE 3.1 (a) Initially Crystal thinks she sees a large piece of driftwood far down the
beach. (b) Eventually she realizes she is looking at an umbrella. (c) On her way down the beach,
she passes a piece of rope.
Bruce Goldstein
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