What do you see in this image?

[GlassOnion]

Thought this was interesting:

So what did you see ?

What is above the woman’s head? When scientists showed a similar sketch to people from East Africa, nearly all the participants in the experiment said she was balancing a box or metal can on her head.

In a culture containing few angular visual cues, the family is seen sitting under a tree. Westerners, on the other hand, are accustomed to the corners and boxlike shapes of architecture. They are more likely to place the family indoors and to interpret the rectangle above the woman’s head as a window through which shrubbery can be seen.

Looking back, I can definitely remove the 'walls' and see them sitting outside under a tree, but sure enough my first guess was a family sitting in a living room type setting. Just another way that our brain creates our own version reality I guess.

 

[CharlieDog]

I also saw them inside, but could easily see them as outside under a tree, and the box on her head.

 

[Fran27]

Same, inside but easy to see them under a tree. Interesting!

 

[jess2416]

I can only see them as inside, cause the "box" looks like a window to me, and it looks as though there is a tree right outside the window. Just like the quote said

 

[eddieq]

I didn't take notice of them being inside or outside when I first looked. I saw the kids and the dog. When I read the quote, I then said, "Well, of course they are inside". :dunno:

 

[milos_mommy]

I saw it as inside right away...I can see them under the tree but not the box because it looks like it's behind the woman's head.

 

[FoxyWench]

i noticed the dog first, then the family, then the pole and thiought they were outside, then i noticed the "box" and thought "that has to be a window" (it couldnt be a box because the lines are all wrong) so they must be inside

 

[ACooper]

My eyes went right to the dog and decided it was a doberman Then I noticed the people looked African-American (or people of color, which ever is correct atm)

I really do think I just assumed it was indoors and that was a window.........didn't give it much thought until I read the quote tho. I can see it both ways, but picture it BETTER as being indoors because it would be sort of lame for her to be balancing a box on her head while she is relaxing with the family, LOL

Those sort of things interest me too

 

[bubbatd]

Inside with a window to me .

 

[xpaeanx]

I saw the dog first, then took in the whole picture.

While I can *see* why they might think she had a box on her head.... The lines are completely wrong for it to be a box. It's not center, the depth of it is at the wrong angle, and a box of that size would require hands for support.... or at least a lot of concentration... which since she's sitting around with family, I just dont' see it.

 

[CharlieDog]

I think maybe some of you are forgetting that the people who saw it as a box are African and carrying things on their head is a matter of course. For the women, anyway, unsure if the men do or not.

 

[ACooper]

I think maybe some of you are forgetting that the people who saw it as a box are African and carrying things on their head is a matter of course. For the women, anyway, unsure if the men do or not.

Yep, I get that part, seen movies and documentaries depicting them carrying jugs, boxes, containers in general and I didn't even take "issue" with the "poorly drawn" box, LOL.........I just wonder WHY she would be balancing a box on her head whilst sitting down relaxing with friends/family/neighbors, whatever, LOL

I would compare that to a picture of an "American Family" all sitting round the living room relaxing having fun, and BOOM........here's the mom (or random male/female) sitting, smiling, laughing, but has rubber cleaning gloves and a toilette brush Why on EARTH would she be relaxing while geared up for work, hahahahahahaha

 

[xpaeanx]

I think maybe some of you are forgetting that the people who saw it as a box are African and carrying things on their head is a matter of course. For the women, anyway, unsure if the men do or not.

I was more commenting on how in the case of this picture, the final assement of what the picture dictated actually followed a chain of logical reasoning. I did say I can see why they might have seen that, but from my chain of reasoning, I didn't come to that conclusion.

 

[Dreeza]

ok, im the weirdo...I was drawn to the dark part of the pic (where the wall & ceiling meet) & actually saw it as a tree...so I thought they were outside

THEN i saw the box...and was like, oh wait, that is a window...lol

 

[Dogs6]

ok, im the weirdo...I was drawn to the dark part of the pic (where the wall & ceiling meet) & actually saw it as a tree...so I thought they were outside

THEN i saw the box...and was like, oh wait, that is a window...lol

ditto

 

[Xandra]

First I looked at the "animal" and figured I was going to have to interpret what it is, logic would say dog, but its face looks kind of like a kangaroo or lamb.

LOl then I read it and figured they were inside, and the box was either a very strange painting or a window. I decided window.

I can see the tree and I understand that she could be "balancing" it but the 3D lines don't really jive with that explanation.

 

[Snark]

Saw the dog first (I was thinking it's a bull terrier), then the picture overall. Definitely inside for me - the shading on the post at the top looks too angular to me to be a tree. I thought the 'box' over the woman's head was a weird painting until I noticed the lines indicating depth. Didn't think of the woman as balancing a box on her head - her hair isn't right for having weight on it... If that really was a box, shouldn't her hair be flattened a little?

 

[sprintime]

I saw them inside, but thought there was a palm tree I could see outside a window.

 

[Lolas Dad]

I see them sitting inside. The box is not a box at all, it is a window. The lines up in the corner depict a wall that has cobwebs on it reaching out to the ceiling. opcorn:

 

[smkie]

IF she was balancing a metal box on her head the angles would not be at the top they would be at the bottom. THe perspective is all wrong for that. ANd that would be a pretty crappy tree to be a tree..i saw it as a sorta maybe attempt and making a corner look like a tree. Those are the two things I saw first, window is wrong and ick on the tree/corner. DOn't know why that would be a culture thing unless that culture tends to not seriously look at things and go by only what they think is there.

I gave Hyia an art lesson this morning on just this very thing. SHe drew my bed, and her bed with our new blankets. THe only thing is she made all 4 legs visible. So I had her stand on a chair and look down at her desk. I asked her how many legs were visible and she was surprised that none of them were. I told her about drawing faces upside down for that very reason. I drew the standard symbol of eyes that all children draw at one point or another, a circle in side of a shape. I asked her if that was what my eyes or Victor's for that matter looked like. SO maybe it is an education thing. Don't see how anyone could see that picture any other way. I will ask Hyia what she thinks it is when she gets home.