When Can You Spot the Image?

How much information does the brain need to see an image? Turns out, it’s much less than you might think.

Because our brains recognize patterns, we can make meaning out of low-resolution or halftone images which only show fragments of a picture. One particular area — the fusiform gyrus — has specialized facial recognition functions which allow us to recognize images of faces.

Check out the classroom activity Looking a Little Spotty from The Exploratorium to help students visualize how we uncover patterns in images to recognize faces and objects.

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