But according to French, Arnold was talking about a saucer and not the shape of the aircraft. He referred to the motion, comparing it to a saucer skipping across water, he added. And since then, people are using the ‘flying saucer’ phrase when talking about UFOs.
He even drew what he saw, and even though it was nothing close to a saucer-shaped craft, people continued to describe UFOs the same way and reported seeing them as well. According to French, this is a good example of the influence of top-down processing.
It’s all about belief. Those who believe in UFOs and extraterrestrial life will likely believe that any light that appears in the night sky is a flying saucer. Conversely, a non-believer will have another explanation for the light.
As French has added, even though people might be honest when describing such an event, there’s still a chance they’ve added a few extra details to make everything seem a little more interesting.
