Identify the Photo

Instructions Turn to Chapter 5 in the text and find the fuzzy photo (you'll find it in the section that discusses the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). Can you identify what is pictured? If so, are you certain that you have identified the correct image? Would you bet us $20 that you are correct? If you still cannot identify the image, look at it for a few more minutes. DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER until you have tried for 5 minutes to identify the image.

Typically, individuals will not see the correct, or even any recognizable, image after 5 minutes of concerted effort. We have used this picture in our classes for years. No more than a handful of students correctly identify the picture. Once we inform them what it is, however, most see the correct image within a minute or two. Some see it instantly. (Some still never see it). Still stuck? It's a picture of a cow (admittedly a pretty fuzzy one) looking at you; both its face and body are pictured. (Do you owe us $20?) Look at the picture closely again. Now do you see the correct image?

Show this fuzzy photo to your friends or family members. See if they can identify the image without being told what it is. If they give up, tell them what it is and see how quickly they see the correct image.

Discussion This demonstration illustrates the weak version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity). It is not impossible to see the cow without it being labeled for us in advance, contradicting the strong version of the hypothesis, but it certainly is difficult without the label. We must choose from a universe of possibilities when no label is provided for the image. Once labeled, however, our vision is considerably narrowed. We see more easily when objects, events, and phenomena are labeled (linguistic relativity).