Expectation Influence on Perception

A group of cognitive psychologists conducted an experiment to investigate the influence of expectation on perceptual accuracy. Participants were shown visually ambiguous stimuli—images that could be interpreted in multiple ways. Prior to viewing these stimuli, half of the participants were given specific expectations about what they would see (e.g., 'You will likely see a cat.'), while the other half received neutral instructions that did not suggest any particular outcome. The study aimed to determine if the manipulated expectation would significantly affect the participants' perception of the ambiguous images. What cognitive phenomenon does this scenario best exemplify in the context of perception?