duck-rabbit
Classic perceptual ambiguity
A duck-rabbit is an ambiguous figure that can be seen as either a duck or a rabbit depending on how you look at it—the duck's bill becomes the rabbit's ears.
The image, popularized by philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, illustrates how perception involves interpretation: Is it a duck or a rabbit? It's a duck-rabbit.
The term extends to any situation where two valid interpretations coexist.
Having two stable states
- opticalOf vision or light
- reversalComplete change of direction
- flipQuick turning motion
- alternationSequential interchange of elements
visual · perception · drawing · sketch · silhouette · outline · contour · image
Philosopher of language limits
- GestaltOrganized perceptual whole
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- interpretationAssigned meaning
paradigm · perspective · meaning · context · Ludwig · visual puzzle · phenomenology · cognition
Mental interpretation of stimuli
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- attentionFocused mental awareness
- GestaltOrganized perceptual whole
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
stimulus · visual processing · ambiguity · interpretation · bias · expectation · priming · recognition
bistable
Having two stable states
alternation · visual · perception · drawing · sketch · silhouette · outline · contour · image · puzzle
Wittgenstein
Philosopher of language limits
- GestaltOrganized perceptual whole
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
interpretation · paradigm · perspective · meaning · context · Ludwig · visual puzzle · phenomenology · cognition · epistemology
perception
Mental interpretation of stimuli
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- attentionFocused mental awareness
- GestaltOrganized perceptual whole
experiment · stimulus · visual processing · ambiguity · interpretation · bias · expectation · priming · recognition · mental set
- optical illusionsoptical illusion, optical illusions, trompe l'oeil, impossible stairs, afterimages
- Wittgensteinfamily resemblance, private language, showing, saying, tautology