ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Perceptual trap

Perceptual trap is when somebody sees or believes something to be true even when it isn't. Imagine that you see a picture of a dog in a book, but the dog is actually a drawing of a cat. Your brain might tell you that it's a dog because you're used to seeing dogs in books, even though it really is a cat. That's a perceptual trap!

Another example would be if you were looking for your lost toy, and you were convinced it was in your toy box, but it was actually under your bed. Your brain thought it had to be in the toy box because that's where you usually keep it, but it's actually somewhere else.

Sometimes, people fall into perceptual traps when they have preconceived notions or beliefs about something. They might ignore information that contradicts what they already believe, or they might only see things that confirm what they already think.

It's important to be aware of perceptual traps so we don't make mistakes or make false assumptions. We should always try to look at things objectively and consider all the information we have before making a decision or forming an opinion.
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