Art Gallery Visit: Perception and Interpretation

During a visit to an art gallery, Alex is intrigued by a collection of abstract paintings. He finds himself drawn to a particular piece that seems to depict a group of birds flying in the sky, even though the painting is composed of seemingly random shapes and colors. He is also fascinated by a large sculpture that appears to be three-dimensional when viewed from a certain angle, but is actually flat. As he moves through the gallery, he listens to an audio guide that provides information about the artists and their work.

Based on the scenario described, how is Alex using each of the following concepts to interpret the artwork?

Gestalt psychology

Monocular cues

Top-down processing

Later, Alex visits a room that features a series of optical illusions. He is puzzled by an image that appears to be a young woman when viewed one way, and an old woman when viewed another way. He also struggles to understand a picture that seems to be a vase at first glance, but can also be interpreted as two faces looking at each other. As he tries to make sense of these images, he listens to the audio guide's explanation of the illusions. Based on the extended scenario, how do each of the following concepts explain Alex's experiences?

Figure-ground relationship

Bottom-up processing

Perceptual set