Thatcher illusion: Comparison of responses of children and young adults

Abstract

The effects of eyes and mouth, on the perception of children and adults on Thatcher illusion were reported. The stimuli used are human faces from different races, and an animal face (Mandrillus sphinx) with various parts inverted. These faces were initially mounted upright and upside down on a disk, which was rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise. Young adults detected the transitions from a pleasant face to a grotesque one earlier than the children. Children, however, were found to observe transitions from grotesque to pleasant earlier than the young adults. The eyes in general had a significant effect in determining transitions to grotesqueness for all human faces except for the Taiwanese. The animal face used here did not exhibit Thatcher illusion.