Lesson 3.1.2.4.1

3.1.2.4.1 Illusion explanations: ambiguity, misread depth cues, fiction, size constancy Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 3.1.2.4.1, Illusion explanations: ambiguity, misread depth cues, fiction, size constancy: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 2: Perception, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What does the explanation of illusions as ambiguity mean?

    • The image has been stored in memory in a form that makes it hard to recall in full later on
    • The image is so large that it cannot be seen as a whole by the viewer's eyes in one look
    • The image can be interpreted in more than one way, so the viewer may see either of two possible forms
    • The image is too clear to interpret, so the viewer sees only its colour and brightness at first

  2. Which illusion is best explained by ambiguity?

    • The Ames room, in which a trapezoid room appears to be a normal rectangular room to the viewer
    • The Kanizsa triangle, in which a triangle seems to have edges where none are actually drawn
    • The Necker cube, whose wire-frame drawing can be seen in two different orientations
    • The Ponzo illusion, in which two equal horizontal lines between converging lines look different

  3. What does misreading depth cues mean as an explanation of illusions?

    • A depth cue is ignored in a 3D scene, so every object looks the same size and distance to the viewer
    • A depth cue is applied to a 2D image where it does not belong, so the size or distance is judged wrongly
    • A depth cue is stored in sensory memory for too long, so the viewer keeps seeing it after it has gone
    • A depth cue is used only by one eye, so the two eyes send contradictory information to the brain

  4. Which illusion is most often explained by misreading depth cues?

    • The Ponzo illusion, where linear perspective makes the upper of two equal lines seem longer
    • The Rubin's vase, where the figure can be seen as a vase or as two faces in the same image
    • The Necker cube, where the drawing can be seen as two different 3D cubes at the same time
    • The Kanizsa triangle, where the triangle's edges are filled in by the brain as illusory contours

  5. What does fiction mean as an explanation of an illusion?

    • The brain stores a copy of the image in the sensory store for longer than it actually lasts
    • The brain deliberately ignores the image so that the viewer can remember the shape instead
    • The brain uses a fictional story from memory to decide the size of an object in the scene
    • The brain creates a contour or shape that is not actually present in the image

  6. Which illusion is best explained by fiction?

    • The Ames room, because the room looks rectangular when it is actually a trapezoid in shape
    • The Necker cube, because the drawing can be seen as two different cubes in different positions
    • The Kanizsa triangle, because the brain fills in edges of a triangle that are not drawn
    • The Müller-Lyer illusion, because the fins make one line look longer than the other line

  7. What does size constancy have to do with illusions?

    • Objects are judged to keep the same position, so a misapplied movement cue makes lines look longer
    • Objects are judged to keep the same colour, so a misapplied brightness cue makes lines look different
    • Objects are judged to keep a constant real size, so a misapplied depth cue can make a line look bigger or smaller
    • Objects are judged to keep the same number of parts, so a misapplied count makes shapes look different

  8. Which illusion is linked to size constancy in the specification?

    • The Müller-Lyer illusion, where two equal lines look different in length because of their fins
    • The Necker cube, where a line drawing flips between two different orientations in the view
    • The Kanizsa triangle, where edges appear where no lines are drawn in the image of the shape
    • Rubin's vase, where the figure and background swap as the viewer looks at the picture

  9. A drawing shows two equal horizontal lines between converging lines. The upper one looks longer. Which explanation fits best?

    • Ambiguity, because the lines can be seen as two different shapes at the same time in the view
    • Fiction, because the brain fills in a line between the converging lines that is not drawn
    • Occlusion, because the upper line hides part of the lower line in the drawing for the viewer
    • Misreading of linear perspective cues, so the upper line is judged to be further away and larger

  10. Why does the Necker cube illustrate ambiguity rather than misread depth cues?

    • Because the drawing has two equally valid 3D interpretations, so neither is a mistake
    • Because the drawing is so large that the viewer's sensory store cannot hold all of it at once
    • Because the drawing has no depth cues at all, so the viewer's eyes cannot judge its shape
    • Because the drawing is a fiction, so the brain fills in the edges of a cube that are not drawn

  11. A viewer sees a shape that appears to have edges where none are drawn. Which explanation fits?

    • Size constancy, because the shape is judged to be larger than its real size on the page
    • Fiction, because the brain creates a contour that is not present in the image
    • Misread depth cues, because the shape has been placed in the wrong position on the page
    • Ambiguity, because the shape can be seen in two valid orientations by the viewer in turn

  12. Which statement about the explanations of visual illusions is correct?

    • Illusions can be explained by ambiguity, misread depth cues, fiction or size constancy
    • Illusions can only be explained by the serial position of the lines within the drawing shown
    • Illusions can only be explained by sensory memory decay, which removes parts of the image
    • Illusions can only be explained by the number of receptors in the eye, which is fixed at birth

  13. A viewer sees a vase in one moment and two faces in the next. Which explanation applies?

    • Ambiguity, because the picture supports two valid interpretations that the viewer switches between
    • Fiction, because the brain creates the faces from edges that are not drawn in the picture
    • Size constancy, because the faces are judged to be larger than the vase in the picture
    • Misread depth cues, because the faces are placed further away from the viewer than the vase

  14. Why do illusions that involve depth cues tend to be strong?

    • Because depth cues cannot be applied to two-dimensional drawings, so they always make an error
    • Because the cues usually help people judge size and distance correctly in everyday scenes
    • Because depth cues are stored in the sensory store, which holds them for a long time after the view
    • Because depth cues are only used by the short-term store, which makes them easy to confuse

  15. Which feature of the Necker cube makes it an ambiguous figure?

    • Its wire-frame drawing has a solid surface, so the viewer sees one orientation only at all times
    • Its wire-frame drawing has no solid surface, so the viewer can see it in either of two orientations
    • Its wire-frame drawing is so small that the sensory store cannot hold a clear image of it
    • Its wire-frame drawing is coloured, so the colours make the viewer see a fixed shape

  16. What is the best way to describe a misread depth cue illusion?

    • A depth cue is stored in long-term memory and is recalled in the wrong order by the viewer
    • A depth cue is missing from the picture, so the viewer cannot judge depth or size at all
    • A depth cue that works in flat pictures is applied to a real scene, leading to a correct judgement
    • A depth cue that works in real scenes is applied to a flat picture, leading to a wrong judgement

  17. Which explanation would account for two equal lines looking different because of arrow fins at their ends?

    • Ambiguity, because the two lines can be seen as two different shapes that flip in the view
    • Fiction, because the brain adds extra lines between the arrow fins that are not drawn at all
    • Misread depth cues, because the fins look like the corners of a room, suggesting different distances
    • Serial position, because the line at the start of the drawing is recalled better than the line at the end

  18. A student thinks an illusion is caused by missing information from the sensory store. Which claim is most accurate?

    • Illusions are caused by the sensory store losing information, so the viewer sees an incomplete image
    • Illusions are caused by the short-term store holding too many items, so the viewer confuses them
    • Illusions are caused by how the brain interprets the image, not by losing information from the store
    • Illusions are caused by the long-term store forgetting the shape, so the viewer can only guess it

  19. Which statement about the Kanizsa triangle is correct?

    • It is a drawing that flips between two orientations, so the triangle can be seen in two different ways
    • It has no drawn edges, so the triangle is perceived through illusory contours created by the brain
    • It is a three-dimensional figure, so the triangle is judged only by its depth cues in the picture
    • It is a drawing with complete edges, so the triangle is seen directly from the image shown to the viewer

  20. A student says the Müller-Lyer lines look different because one is actually longer. Which reply is best?

    • No, the lines are equal, and the difference comes from how the fins are read as depth cues
    • Yes, the line with fins is longer, because the fins add real length to the line in the drawing
    • Yes, the lines differ, because the sensory store holds one line for longer than the other line
    • No, the lines look different only because one is rehearsed more often in the short-term store

All AQA Psychology quizzes