I’m in trouble
Posted by Carrie on 02 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: Gabriel, Samuel
First, what do you see in this picture?
If you didn’t scroll down for the explanation, the gist is that adults will see lovers, and kids will see dolphins.
My kids?
SAM: “Two people, hugging.”
GABE: “Jesus.” Then, on second glance, “It’s a tiger, kneeling down.”
I swear, they haven’t walked in on us or been given any occasion to develop what the site refers to as “prior memory associated with such a scenario.” 
Somebody else, please tell me your kids don’t see dolphins, either…
15 Comments »
on 02 Jul 2008 at 8:29 pm
Robyn said …
My 5 year old saw a mermaid and my 4 year old saw a lady with her arms up.
Awesome.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 12:52 am
Sarah said …
Im totally afraid of what Wyatt will see. HAHA…. thats funny
on 03 Jul 2008 at 1:52 am
Anne said …
My six year old boy saw two people. When prompted to look for black fish, he could see them. I guess that our kids are just see more naked people these days.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 7:00 am
Andrea_R said …
Yeah, mine said “People” when I asked her what was on the bottle. But there’s lots of hugging going on here.
I don’t agree with their assessment though – it’s natural for our eyes – at whatever age – to try and decipher the lighter areas of the picture first.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 7:17 am
Cory said …
Definitely, if the bottle was lighter/neutral, I’d give it a better chance of being a good illusion. Otherwise, I don’t buy their study one bit.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 7:20 am
Cory said …
…and are the nipples necessary? No.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 8:05 am
Sue said …
My kids are not what I’d consider “young” so I’m going to pass on showing it to them. I will admit to being totally chicken. I also don’t want to answer the question, “Mom, why are you showing us a picture of naked people?!?”
But I’d bet a doughnut that Andrea’s assessment is correct.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 9:16 am
jennifer and the beans said …
Alice (10.5) first saw “a woman with her arms up” and then “two people”. Sammy (6) saw “people”. Neither saw the dolphins until I pointed out each one with my mouse. I wonder if fiddling with the contrast on the image would result in more neutrality between the two possible views.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 9:43 am
jay said …
I totally don’t believe that anyone wouldn’t see people. Kids’ abstract recognition of people is much better than that ‘study’ gives credit for.
If kids can look at little fisher price cylinders and spheres with eyes painted on and recognize them as representations of humans, I’m sure they’ll be able to recognize figures with limbs bent in a possibly unfamiliar configuration.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 11:27 am
Sharon s. said …
I don’t know what’s it like in other households, but my 7 and 5 yr. old girls haven’t seen me and hubby in “intimate” positions, but they see us naked enough. Both of them will come into the bathroom while either of us is showering or in the bedroom while we’re getting dressed; we change together in family changing rooms at the Y; stuff like that. I think it’s perfectly natural for a child to recognize a naked body. Most kids seem to be seeing naked people hugging – it’s the adults who read more than that into it. Also, Andrea’s got a good point.
on 03 Jul 2008 at 12:39 pm
Laura said …
I have two boys. One is 9 (nearly 10) and the other is 4. I may show my 4 year old this image but I’m kinda scared to show my oldest… who knows if he’ll see the same thing I see then it opens up a whole nother can of worms I’m not sure I’m ready to discuse yet
on 03 Jul 2008 at 2:20 pm
Sara said …
Cory, you don’t have NIPPLES?!
on 04 Jul 2008 at 8:01 am
Carrie said …
Long and tragic tale involving a Superball, a banana, and a weed whacker.
on 07 Jul 2008 at 8:01 pm
Lex said …
My 6yo Isa said it looks like a little person who is supposed to get out of the bottle. No, Wait, she said, it’s superman trying to get out of the bottle.
on 20 Aug 2008 at 3:51 am
Miriam said …
My two year old daughter said immediatly “that my mummy. And daddy cuddle mummy!”
My four year old daughter said “I see a mummy with a daddy”.
They haven’t seen anything intimate between me and my husband before but they are around when we shower and dress. I shower with them and sometimes we have a family bath in the evenings (we have a HUGE bath).
I’m not surprised that they can see two people cuddling.