Tag: Sensation and Perception

  • A Hands-Down Simple Illusion: The Aristotle Illusion

    Written by Taylor Carlson, Elizabeth Johnson, Marie Osuna, Katie Rhoten, and Madison Sinclair Tactile illusions refer to sensations that ​affect your sense of touch​. For example, if you are wearing rubber gloves while doing dishes, you may feel as if your hands are wet! This sensation might feel odd, but you aren’t crazy for feeling…

  • Aging and Two Point Touch

    Written by Sophia Redding, Sierra Weis, Hannah Rupp, and Hieu Trinh When we hear “two-point touch,” our initial thought is likely an object touching ourselves or another object at two separate points of interest. Frankly, that’s exactly what it is. The two-point touch technique measures the smallest distance between two points at which an individual…

  • Dieting with the Sugar Destroyer

    Written by Amelia Bjorklund, Alma Jorgenson, Kelly Heffley, and Ginger Valentine Before coming to college, we all feared the ‘freshman fifteen,’ and would be lying if we didn’t admit to this. At Gustavus, we have such easy access to all you can eat sweets, from the soft serve ice cream in the cafeteria to the…

  • What’s the Deal with Mouthfeel?

    Written by Nicky Abraham, Brenda Garcia, Lydia Kalenze, and Isabel St. Dennis Imagine coming home and finding a bowl of chocolate waiting for you. You go to grab one, and as you start to taste it, someone asks you what it feels like. As you continue eating it, you start to describe the feeling of…

  • Smell That Again?: Does Being Pregnant Heighten Your Sense of Smell?

    Written by Kristine Falness, Emee Jagielski, Amber Forrester, and Yumiko Yoshioka Imagine this: You or someone you know has just found out that they are pregnant with their first child and have recently been noticing changes in their sense of smell. They do not know what could be causing these changes, so they decide to…

  • The Truth Behind Pheromones in Humans

    Written by Britta Lundgren, Allie Miller, Maddie Schut, and Charles Walia Have you ever been interested in wearing the same shirt for a whole week, not washing it and placing it in a bag to be sold online to someone who’s lonely, longing for a sexual connection, and wants to pretend they’re not by smelling…

  • Are You Sick of Motion Sickness? The Company Citroen has Found a Solution for it

    Written by Jessica Stauber, Josh Fischer, Amy Sanchez and Ka Zoua Moua Do you ever wonder why you might have felt dizzy or nauseous after riding a thrilling amusement park attraction? There’s a good chance you might have been feeling the symptoms of motion sickness. Feelings of nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, and having pale…

  • Say “Bon Voyage” to Motion Sickness!

    Written By Jessica Erskine, Hailey Campbell, Jacqui Miller, and Abby Carsten Picture this: You’re all dressed up for an evening on a river cruise with a hot date. The stars glimmer beautifully in the water. The cool breeze is just right for snuggling up with your date. You even enjoy a shrimp cocktail as you…

  • Plant Blindness: Our Unintentional Disregard for Flora


    Written by Taylor Mac, Madisyn Plumhoff, Julie Terrone, and Lydia Brekke   “Plant blindness is the inability to see or notice the plants in one’s own environment.” (Ro, 2019) Why Does ‘Plant Blindness’ Occur? Our brains detect differences in the world in a formidable fashion, favoring wildlife such as animals with higher rates of recognition than…

  • Wait, Look Again: Flat or Round? Real or Imaginary?

    Written by Grey Grettum, Amanda Otto, and Katie Velek What is the anamorphosis illusion? Imagine reaching for a baseball, but then realizing that the baseball you perceived is nothing more than just a piece of paper. As shown below, this is an example of the anamorphosis illusion. Anamorphosis is defined as “[the] use of the…