Читать книгу The Communication Playbook - Teri Kwal Gamble - Страница 116

During the perception process, we are active participants. We do not simply sit back and absorb the stimuli available to us the way a sponge absorbs liquid. We select, organize, and evaluate the multitude of stimuli that bombard us, so that what we are focusing on becomes figure and the rest of what we experience becomes ground.¹¹ This is how the figure–ground principle functions.

To experience the concept of figure and ground, examine Figure 3.2. What do you see? At first glance, you likely see a vase—or you may see two people facing each other. When stimuli compete for our attention, we can focus only on one, because it is simply impossible to perceive something in two ways at once. Although we may be able to switch our focus rapidly, we still will perceive only one stimulus at any given time.

Figure 3.2 Face Vase Illusion