Website lerenkijken.nl to show what we (think we) see

Learning to look? Surely everyone can look? Yes, but according to cognitive psychologist Andre Sahakian, everyone sees the world differently: “Everyone's perception is coloured by personal assumptions and foreknowledge.” With the website lerenkijken.nl , a research project everyone can participate in, Sahakian and colleagues Surya Gayet, Christoph Strauch and Stefan van der Stigchel want to find out how different people look and what they see or think they see.

On lerenkijken.nl, three experiments can already be found in which visitors of the website can participate. Sahakian says: “The website will be expanded with ideas and questions from visitors: so it's a research project with real public participation.” One of the experiments you can already participate in is Doorzoek de bagage (Search the luggage). In this experiment, the participant is a security officer who searches suitcases for forbidden items, such as weapons . Upon noticing a weapon , the participant indicates this directly. “We want to know whether or not security officers who receive help from a ‘colleague’, so who are looking together, do better than without help (and thus are looking alone). And does it matter whether or not the helping colleague is experienced?”

Perception is imperfect and subjective.

Collaborating with MBO schools

The Utrecht-based academics work closely with MBO schools within this project, especially schools where visual experts are educated. Sahakian says: “Think along the lines of MBO programmes for security officers who, for instance, will be working at festivals or airports. With the students from these programmes, we also tackle ‘viewing problems’ from practice. For instance, we want to find out the role expectations play when security officers are searching for someone. How do you search when you expect someone to probably be there, and do you search differently if that person is probably not there?” With the lecturers from the MBO institution, the researchers also work on the curriculum on perceiving.

Less polarisation

Sahakian explains that perception is imperfect and subjective, and he hopes that this research project, funded with money from the Dutch National Research Agenda, will contribute to people becoming more aware of this. “Such awareness can result in people being open to each other's insights and interpretations, which can hopefully contribute to less polarisation.”

Come take a look at the website lerenkijken.nl, and participate in one or more experiments.