VISUAL ACUITY

AND PERCEPTION
 Perception is the process by which we organize and interpret the patterns of
stimuli in our environment, the immediate intuitive recognition, as of an
aesthetic quality.The separation of two lines placed end to end can be
perceived more readily than the separation of 2 lines placed side by side.
Acuity increases with increase in
intensity of illumination.
 SPATIAL PERCEPTION
 All spatial implications are mentally conditioned by the environmental and experience of the viewer. Vision is
experienced through the eyes, but interpreted with the mind. Perception involves the whole pattern of nerve
and brain response as well as the visual 'stimulus'.
 Man uses two eyes for the perception of objects in nature and continually shifts his focus of attention. In so
doing, two different types of vision are used STEREOSCOPIC and KINESTHETIC. Having two eyes set slightly
apart for each other, man sees two different views of the object world at the same time.
 The term STEREOSCOPIC is applied to his abilitv to overlap these views, which are slightly different, into one
image. This visual process created an illusion of three-dimensional depth,making it possible to judge distances.
 One of the most frequently employed types of information especially over short distances,arises from 'Retinal
Disparity' or unlikeness of the retinal images in the eys, which are in different spatial positions, thus, if we hold
up a cube in front of the eyes, the right eye will see slightly more of the side face on the right, the left eye
slightly more of the side on the left.
 If you focus your two eyes on a pencil held close to the face, while at the same time consciously
observing an object further away, the farther object will appear doubled and if we shift the eyes to
concentrate on the object while the pencil is in front, the pencil will be doubled and the object just one.
 In KINESTHETIC vision, man experiences space in the movements of the eye
from one part of a whole work of art to another. Space is experienced while
viewing a two-dimensional surface because we unconsciously attempt to
organize its separate parts so that they can be seen as a whole. In addition,
man explores objec.ts surmental recognit ion of them. Objects close to the
eye require more. Ocular movement then those more distant, and this
factoradds spatch illusion to man's Kinesthetic vision.
THE PERCEPTION OF OBJECTS:
 Objects can be perceived not only visually but by the sound of familiar voices, people can
berecognized. In identifying objects, they may be touched and weighed in the hand. If they are food
objects, they may be smelt and tasted. Thus the observer may continue examining theobject and
placing together the various sensory impressions until he has made up his mindwhat it is.
 Our behaviour through experiences has become habitual, automatic and effective. An exampleis when
we walk leisurely, or run hurriedly when a vehicle is approaching. We alsohave an internal sense of
position, by reacting automatically, shifting the body to one sidewhen riding a bicycle. We perceive
visually whether the bicycle is upright in relation to theroad.
THE PERCEPTION OF SHAPE
 The most important feature of a shape or object is its general outline or
contour. Whenever we look at objects, they seem to be clearly outlined and
demarcated from their background. With a solid object the particular contour
exhibited to us at any one moment varies with its position in space. The
visual shape of a square-topped table is square only when we look at it from
above.
 "FIGUREGROUND" - a phenomenon wherein drawings consisting of black lines, any line which surrounds an
area, and which is recognized as representing an object is quickly picked out by the observer, and it then
seems to him to stand out from the background in an obvious manner. No field of view is perceived all at one
dead level. Some part of it will always tend to become "figural" and to be differentiated from the rest of the
field which forms the"ground" to this figure. This figure then stands out, is readily perceived and attended to
andits appearance and details are noted.
 Example: If you look at the object, you will see a cross figure on a dark, background.With a fixed gaze closely
on the field, a switch is made and the white cross becomes a background for the dark X figure.
Vanity

 When you look at this figure from afar

it looks so much like a skull but when
near, it clearly shows a lady in front of
a mirror.
Slave Market with the
Disappearing Bust of
Voltaire

In the Center of this

painting is an
archway reverse to
form a bust of
Voltaire.
 “Concave and Convex"
shows an exterior view
of the left-hand house,
an interior view of the
right hand house and
either an exterior or
interior view of the
house in the middle,
depending upon one~
choice. 19.U
FLUCTUATION
 Instances of fluctuation are given by the phenomena of the alternating 'Figure' and 'Ground‘ alternating
perspective and retinal rivalry. In the following figures showing alternating perspective, one part of the
figure appears to stand out in front of the rest of the figure; but there is alternation, first one pan
standing out and then the remainder.
An illusion devised in 1832 by the Swiss naturalist LA. Necker.
When you look at one square the figure will look either of the following.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING ACCURACY OF
SHAPE PERCEPTION
 The simpler the actual shape which is viewed like squares, triangles, circles, the more likely it is to be
perceived accurately, even though in a very short period of time.
 There is a tendency of an observer to perceive for example a square when actually it is a rectangle
meaning a square and say it is circle although it is an ellipse.
 This tendency to perceive shapes not exactly as they are but in somewhat modified form, is given great
importance by a German School of psychologists, known as the GESTALT psychologist. The world means
"FORM". According to them our percepts always possess some kind of form or arrangement, and we tend
to group together shapes close to each other.
 A form of simplication may be through continuity. A shape with a broken, discontinuous or dotted
outline may be perceived as a whole continuous figure. Dotted lines as shown below are perceived as a
Triangle and a Square.
 In some complex Figure, a smaller Figure may become swallowed up in a larger whole and an observer
will have difficulty in noticing the simple figures in the complex ones.
VISUAL OR OPTICAL ILLUSIONS
 There are further difficulties in perceiving complex forms accurately in detail
resulting from the inability to perceive the parts of the shape independently
of the whole. Many of the so called Visual Illusions.
 'VISUAL ILLUSIONS' make their effect because the observer's perception is
influenced by the inclusion of their parts in the whole pattern. In the figure
below so-called Muller-Lyer illusion, the upper horizontal line tends to look
shorter than the lower, because it is difficult ifriot impossible to estimate the
lengths of the two lines independently of the arrow headswhich form part of
the same figure.
 Another example below shows two horizontal Lines, actually straight and
parallel, but because they are combined with the oblique lines, they look
curved.
 A shape may be altered even by the background on which it is super_imposed.
The two horizontal lines are in fact straight and parallel although they appear
stouter at the middle.

The mirror or water reflection of the word RIGHT becomes

WRONG try it with a small mirror.
 When two homogenous, differently coloured fields are shown with one considerably larger than the other and
encloses it, then there is gr~ter probability that the small enclosed field will be percieved as the figure.
PERCEPTION OF SPACE
DEPTH AND DISTANCE
Perceptual processes function in the three‐dimensional organization of stimuli as well as in
distance judgments. The processes include use of both monocular and binocular cues.Monocular
cues. Monocular cues, those used when looking at objects with one eye closed, help an individual
to form a three‐dimensional concept of the stimulus object. Such cues include
 size of the stimulus
 interposition, when one stimulus blocks the image of another
 shadows, which indicate distance
 linear perspective, the convergence of parallel tracks or lines as they recede into the distance
 texture changes (distinct bricks are seen in a near wall but become a pattern with increased
distance)
 relative motion (motion parallax), used in judging distance (when you are traveling in a car,
near objects seen out the window seem to move rapidly, but far ones don't seem to move)
 Binocular cues. Binocular cues, those used when looking at objects with both eyes, also
function in depth perception. Examples are
retinal disparity, the differences in images on the retinas of the two eyes
eye convergence, a necessary visual response in order to focus on a distant object
 Illusions. Presentation of multiple stimuli elicits a tendency to group some of them together
and others apart, a phenomenon which can create optical illusions. An example is the Müller‐
Lyer illusion shown in Figure . The lengths of the two lines appear to be different but are the
same.
Other Factors Influencing Perception
 Personal characteristics. Personal characteristics, such as past experience (learning) and
motivation, may also affect the way stimuli are perceived.
 Learning (a musician quickly learns the pattern of tones that make a melody and detects a
discordant note)
 Motivation (while an individual may not initially have a taste for espresso coffee, if the person's
group of acquaintances perceives it as an “in” beverage, he or she may then start drinking
espresso)
Gestalt Theory

 A group of early experimental psychologists known as Gestalt psychologists believed that

perceptions are more than the stimuli that create them. By more is meant that a meaningful,
whole pattern is created by the stimuli (that is, the total is more than the sum of its parts).
These psychologists developed the idea, the principle of Prägnanz, that stimuli can be
grouped and seen as a whole. These psychologists believed that the innate, organizing
tendencies of the brain would explain organization functions in perception, including many
optical illusions, for example, the phi phenomenon and certain figure‐ground
relationships.The phi phenomenon occurs when you see two adjacent lights alternately
blinking off and on and perceive them as one light moving back and forth. This phi
phenomenon illusion is frequently used in signs to suggest movement.
 Figure (object)‐ground (background) relationships are important in Gestalt theory, which
suggests that perceptions are organized to produce a figure‐ground effect. One tends to see
objects against backgrounds rather than to view each separately. However, when instructed,
one may reverse the relationship and see the object as background and vice versa. In the
famous figure‐ground illustration shown in Figure , do you see a goblet or the profile of two
faces?
 An important feature of our perception of depth and solidity of objects is constituted by the
shadows which are casts upon parts of them by the general illumination. Normally, shadows appear on
the receding parts of objects and indicates recession and hence solidity. Changes in the appearance of
depth can be produced by altering the dir~>.ction of the incident light.Parts of a surface in relief may
be made to appear as if they protruded by directing light on to it from below instead if from above as
normal.The perception of depth depends upon the direction of the light perceived, not on the physical
direction of light. A concave relief (matrix) can reverse its depth and is then perceived as a convex
(patrix).
FILED AND EMPTY DISTANCE
 A depth filled with details appears to be greater than one of the same physical distance which
is empty.
CONTRADICTORY DEPTH FACTORS
VISUAL DEPTH
 Despite the fact that the observer 'sees' and 'knows' in reality and feels with his feet that the floor is
composed of plane mosaic stones, it is impossible to avoid a perception of depth
 ILLUSIONS OF DEPTH
 The illusion, the Transformation of what is real into what is believed to be real, has been a standard
architectural technique since the renaissance.
 In France it developed into what we term as trompe L' Oeil, walls or ceilings were painted with scenery and
backdrops in perspective which one would consider as real, adding dimensions to small areas and widening the
visual coverage to even outdoor spaces. Today, wall papers ofsceneries like mountains, forests, rivers, from
floor to ceiling and from wall to vvall are available in the market.
 MONOCULAR CUES TO
DEPTH
 Artists are able to give depth to a picture
because they can make use of the many
monocular cues that tell us the distance of
objects.
Four types of cues that are used in depth
perception.
1. SUPERPOSITION
If one object appears to cut
off the view of another, we
usually perceive the first
object as nearer.
 2. APPARENT MAGNITUDE and RELATIVE SIZE
If there is an array of like objects of different sizes, the smaller ones are
perceived as being farther away.
 3. HEIGHT IN PLACE
 As we look along a flat plane, objects farther away appear to be higher, so
that we can create the impression of depth for objects of the same size by
placing them at different heights.
 The nearer an object is to the horizon. The greater the distance to it is
perceived to be. For objects on the ground, 'nearer the horizon' implies that
they are situated higher in the field of vision.
 4. TEXTURE
 For irregular surfaces such as rocks or waving surface of the ocean, there is a
gradient of texture with distance so that the 'grain' becomes finer as distance
becomes greater.
PARADOX OF DEPTH
Engraving by the Dutch Artist M . C. Escher 'Waterfall'. The artists "false
use" of depth cues makes the water appear to move uphill through a
series of
"level" channels.
CONTEXT:
 The hypotheses tested and the percepts formed depend not only on the features of the object,but also
the context within which the object is viewed. In the example below the center figure can be seen
either as the letter B or the number 13, depending on the context in which it appears.