assimilative illusion

   Also known as passive illusion. The term assimilative illusion is indebted to the Latin verb assim-ilare, which means to equalize. It is used to denote a variant of the group of "cognitive illusions in which the resulting illusory percept is attributed primarily to the assimilation of properly perceived sensory data with an improper set of cognitions. Assimilative illusions are therefore also designated as " illusions resting on a false interpretation of perceptual data. A common example of an assimilative illusion is an echoed sound being interpreted as a sound derivative from a second source.

   References

   Roeckelein, J.E. (2004). Imagery in psychology: a reference guide. Westport, CT: Praeger.