11. The Way I Want to See It
David Dunning
David A. Dunning, Psychology, and graduate student Emily Balcetis conducted studies confirming that people’s motivational states—desires, hopes, fears, or preferences—influence the way they process visual stimuli. In five studies, the researchers showed ambiguous figures—for example, one that could be interpreted as the letter “B” or the number “13”—to volunteers. Participants saw the figure the way they wanted to see it, because they were told that interpretation would have more favorable outcomes for them. One confirmation came from a study tracking eye movements, which revealed that subjects saw only the interpretation they wanted to see, rather than seeing both and reporting their favorite one. The research supports an increasing body of evidence confirming that people’s wishes and preferences influence how they process visual stimuli.