A mirror optically reverses the axis that is perpendicular to its surface. The psychological implications of this stimulus transformation have been discussed thus far in the literature under the title of the ‘mirror question’. From the earliest to the most recent discussions, authors have always begun by describing a given perception (the left/right reversion) and then attempted to explain the lack of correspondence between optical and perceptual transformations. Our study, in contrast, focuses on the descriptive aspects of the mirror question, by approaching it through the Gestalt paradigm of the direct perception of relationships between objects and properties and by means of various ecological experiments. Naïve observers were asked a series of questions concerning different aspects of the relationship they perceived between themselves and their reflection (general perceived relationship, orientation relationship, left-right reversal, gestural relationship etc.). The results are discussed by focusing on the interesting contradictory structure of identityopposition in mirror images. Moreover, the reference in the present analyses to a broader investigation into the perception of opposition, currently being conducted by the authors, is touched upon in the final part of the paper.
Looking at Yourself in the Mirror: Structures of Perceptual Opposition
BIANCHI, IVANA
2005-01-01
Abstract
A mirror optically reverses the axis that is perpendicular to its surface. The psychological implications of this stimulus transformation have been discussed thus far in the literature under the title of the ‘mirror question’. From the earliest to the most recent discussions, authors have always begun by describing a given perception (the left/right reversion) and then attempted to explain the lack of correspondence between optical and perceptual transformations. Our study, in contrast, focuses on the descriptive aspects of the mirror question, by approaching it through the Gestalt paradigm of the direct perception of relationships between objects and properties and by means of various ecological experiments. Naïve observers were asked a series of questions concerning different aspects of the relationship they perceived between themselves and their reflection (general perceived relationship, orientation relationship, left-right reversal, gestural relationship etc.). The results are discussed by focusing on the interesting contradictory structure of identityopposition in mirror images. Moreover, the reference in the present analyses to a broader investigation into the perception of opposition, currently being conducted by the authors, is touched upon in the final part of the paper.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
