May 7, 2014, Room 243, Senate House, WC1
Supported by the British Society of Aesthetics
Ambiguous figures have fascinated researchers for almost 200 years. The physical properties of these figures remain constant, yet two distinct interpretations are possible; these reverse (switch) from one percept to the other. In this talk I will present evidence on the specific process of the reversal phenomenon (ambiguity and reversibility) by using a developmental approach including 3-, 4- and 5-year-old children. Understanding ambiguity requires pictorial metarepresentation and is associated with understanding mental (false beliefs) and linguistic representation (synonymy, homonymy). This suggests a broader conceptual development of representation around the age of 4. The perception of ambiguity develops between 4 and 5 years. Within this age range children also develop inhibitory and image generation abilities. These are key processes allowing reversal. Thus, developmental findings give detailed insight into the underlying processes of how we disambiguate visual information conceptually (ambiguity) and perceptually (reversibility).
Admission Free. All welcome.
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