When you see an airplane flying away from you, it appears to get smaller. However, you know that it stays the same size. The difference between your sensation and your perception of the plane illustrates the concept of
A) perceptual constancy.
B) sensory confusion.
C) sensory consistency.
D) perceptual disparity.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is an example of perceptual constancy, which is the ability to perceive objects as maintaining their size, shape, color, and other properties even as they change in sensory characteristics such as distance, angle, or lighting. In other words, the perception of the airplane as getting smaller is due to the way its retinal image changes as it moves away from the observer, but the sensation of the airplane as remaining the same size is based on the observer's prior knowledge and experience of how objects in the world typically behave.

When You See an Airplane Flying Away from You, It