Our Sense of Sight: How We Perceive Movement, Depth and Illusions

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In this activity, learners investigate visual perception as well as plan and conduct their own experiments. In "CLASS EXPERIMENT," learners discover how depth perception works by testing their ability to perform motor tasks with one eye or two eyes. In "TRY YOUR OWN EXPERIMENT," learners design experiments investigating visual illusions, such as shadow vs. figure, length of lines, or apparent size. They can investigate visual attention with "minimum difference tests." This lesson plan includes background information and guides for educators and learners.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
1 to 2 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Human Body
      • The Brain and Nervous System
    • Human Senses and Perception
      • Vision
      • Perception
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
      • Data Representation
      • Probability
    • Measurement
    • Reasoning and Proof
    • Representation
  • The Nature of Technology
    • The Design Process
  • Physical Sciences
    • Vibration and Waves
    • Light and Optics
      • Sunlight and Color
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Toys

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • see color
  • read
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Murray Ph.D., Marjorie A.

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Eric H. Chudler, 2009