Reflections in a Mirror

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Published: Sep 12, 2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13153/diam.41.2014.649
Keywords:
mirror-reversal perception cognition philosophical psychology cognitive bias

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Damian Cox
Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University

Abstract

In this paper, I develop a solution to the puzzle of mirror perception: why do mirrors appear to reverse the image of an object along a left/right axis and not around other axes, such as the top/bottom axis? I set out the different forms the puzzle takes and argue that one form of it – arguably the key form – has not been satisfactorily solved. I offer a solution in three parts: setting out the conditions in which an apparent left/right reversal of mirror images is generated; explaining why these conditions are so often met; explaining why we are cognitively biased towards the perception of left/right reversal when these conditions are met.

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How to Cite
Cox, Damian. 2014. “Reflections in a Mirror”. Diametros, no. 41 (September):1-12. https://doi.org/10.13153/diam.41.2014.649.
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No. 41 (2014)
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Articles

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Author Biography

Damian Cox, Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University

Damian Cox, PhDAssociate ProfessorFaculty of Society and Design, Bond UniversityBond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 4229dcox@bond.edu.au
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