Ok, I'm not really sure if kids get it right, but after all - they do have all sorts of experience with school buses. Perhaps they do get it right more than adults, after all - experience will trump age and straight up smarts most days of the week.
Here's the test:
Look at the images carefully. Which way is the bus moving?
Ok really.. the only possible answers are right and left.
The answer is below the fold...
Keep scrolling for the results
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According to this site:
The pre-schoolers all answered "left."
When asked, "Why do you think the bus is traveling in the left direction?" they answered:
"Because you can't see the door."
Here's your results.
Comments
I chose left. But that is only because the afterimage seemed quite a bit stronger when I moved my eyes to the left than the right.
Posted by: mike | April 7, 2007 6:59 PM
Up. Because the page scrolls up.
Posted by: Benjamin Franz | April 7, 2007 7:36 PM
I had to guess, because I thought the bus was moving AWAY (i.e. that's the back of the bus, as it's driving away from you).
Posted by: Brian | April 7, 2007 7:56 PM
Woo hoo! I figured it out, by asking myself how I'd board this bus... then it was obvious the drawing was of the left-side of the bus.
Reminds me of the Groucho Marx quip:
A four-year-old child could understand this report.... Run out and find me a four-year-old child. I can't make head nor tail out of it.
Posted by: SFJocko | April 7, 2007 9:36 PM
Well, the door is on the left on buses here...
The reason I chose right is that is the more common direction you face things in western art and illustration (might have something to do with the direction you read) and there's more free space to the right of the bus on the page, again suggesting movement across the field.
Posted by: Janne | April 7, 2007 10:27 PM
Well, in UK, India and many other countries, vehicles travel on the left side of the road, and the buses consequently have their doors on the left side!
So, I can claim that the bus is moving to the right!
-Vishvas Vasuki
Posted by: Vishvas Vasuki | April 8, 2007 2:44 AM
/\/\
in the UK too.....whinge, moan
Posted by: Aust. | April 8, 2007 3:19 AM
The trams (Ok, not strictly a bus, but actually very similar in outline to the drawing (more so than most buses!)) I travelled to work on have doors on both sides.
Posted by: blf | April 8, 2007 5:34 AM
i feel had by a bunch of preschoolers.
Posted by: kate | April 9, 2007 9:37 AM
Even though you can't see a door, there's nothing to indicate which is the front and which is the rear.
Posted by: Alex | April 10, 2007 2:13 PM
Why do you assume it's a bus ?
Posted by: Bill | April 12, 2007 10:34 PM
well I guess it could be a space craft - or perhaps its not anything just abstract art not representing anything except pure visual pleasure.
Posted by: steve | April 12, 2007 10:41 PM