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In such illusions, sensory impressions seem to contradict the “facts of reality” or fail to report their “true” character. Such visual illusions are experienced by every sighted person.Īnother group of illusions results from misinterpretations one makes of seemingly adequate sensory cues. Some of these false impressions may arise from factors beyond an individual’s control (such as the characteristic behaviour of light waves that makes a pencil in a glass of water seem bent), from inadequate information (as under conditions of poor illumination), or from the functional and structural characteristics of the sensory apparatus (e.g., distortions in the shape of the lens in the eye).
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Illusions are special perceptual experiences in which information arising from “real” external stimuli leads to an incorrect perception, or false impression, of the object or event from which the stimulation comes. Neither experience is necessarily a sign of psychiatric disturbance, and both are regularly and consistently reported by virtually everyone. An illusion is distinguished from a hallucination, an experience that seems to originate without an external source of stimulation. For example, a child who perceives tree branches at night as if they are goblins may be said to be having an illusion. Illusion, a misrepresentation of a “real” sensory stimulus-that is, an interpretation that contradicts objective “reality” as defined by general agreement.
Difference between illusion and hallucination how to#
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