Two Lamps or One? An Illusionary Mirror

Perception. 2016 Jun;45(6):684-686. doi: 10.1177/0301006616643655.

Abstract

We asked 100 college students to view a picture ( Figure 1 ) and decide if there were two lamps or one lamp reflected in a mirror. Although the correct answer is two lamps, the vast majority (72%) answered seeing only one lamp. We discuss this illusion.

Keywords: illusion; minimal visual complexity; mirror; perception; simplicity principle; vision.