Neuroscientist Answers Illusion Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
WIRED・23 minutes read
Professor Pascal Balish explains various optical illusions such as the Emotion After Effect and spinning dancer, highlighting how neural processes influence perception and create visual tricks. Illusions like motion-induced blindness and the Müller-Lyer illusion showcase how the brain interprets visual information, adjusting perception based on contextual cues and past experiences.
Insights
- Staring at a spiral then looking away causes the Emotion After Effect optical illusion due to neurons in the brain responsible for motion perception tiring and firing at a lower rate, creating the illusion of things crawling.
- Optical illusions like the Dress and Hermann grid demonstrate how the brain adjusts perception based on assumptions and contextual interpretation, influencing color and brightness perception.
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Recent questions
What is the Emotion After Effect optical illusion?
Staring at a spiral then looking away causes things to appear to crawl. Neurons responsible for motion perception tire and fire at a lower rate, creating the illusion.
How does motion-induced blindness affect perception?
Motion-induced blindness demonstrates how motion affects perception, making objects disappear when focusing on a central point due to the brain's processing of visual information.
What causes mirages to occur?
Mirages occur due to light bending at air temperature transitions, creating optical illusions that deceive the brain into perceiving objects that are not actually present.
How does the Hermann grid illusion work?
The Hermann grid illusion creates illusory dark spots where bright lines intersect due to lateral inhibition in the brain, causing a misperception of the visual stimuli.
What is the purpose of Magic eye pictures?
Magic eye pictures create a 3D effect by presenting two images that the brain combines for depth perception, offering viewers a unique visual experience through the fusion of images.
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Summary
00:00
Visual illusions explained by psychology professor.
- Pascal Balish, a professor of psychology and data science at NYU, specializes in visual perception.
- He explains the Emotion After Effect optical illusion where staring at a spiral then looking away makes things appear to crawl.
- Neurons in the brain responsible for motion perception tire and fire at a lower rate, causing the illusion.
- The spinning dancer illusion changing directions is not indicative of left or right brain dominance; it's a visual trick.
- Perception of the dancer's direction depends on assumptions about the image's contours and hand positions.
- Motion-induced blindness demonstrates how motion affects perception, making objects disappear when focusing on a central point.
- Beta motion involves the brain inferring motion between still images, creating the illusion of movement.
- Mirages occur due to light bending at air temperature transitions, creating optical illusions.
- The Asahi Illusion's brightness perception is influenced by luminance gradients and pupil reflexes.
- The Dress optical illusion's color perception is influenced by lighting assumptions based on personal experiences.
13:38
Optical illusions manipulate brain perception.
- The brain adjusts perception based on shadows, making objects appear lighter or moving when they are not.
- The Hermann grid illusion creates illusory dark spots where bright lines intersect due to lateral inhibition in the brain.
- The Müller-Lyer illusion tricks the brain into perceiving lines of equal length as different due to contextual interpretation.
- Magic eye pictures create a 3D effect by presenting two images that the brain combines for depth perception.
- The Ames room distorts perspective, making objects appear equal in size despite being at different distances.
- Forced perspective, seen in paintings, manipulates perception by using familiar cues to create depth in flat images.
