Visual Illusions

PSYC2007 – Fall 2021

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 Dual axis illusion
2019 Illusion of the Year

http://illusionoftheyear.com/cat/top-10-finalists/2019/
https://youtu.be/HC0GGkNZPgs
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 A recent review on visual illusions

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 What is visual illusion?

Errors in the apprehension of spatial extents,

directions, and differences of directions

-- Wundt (1898)

Geometrical illusions are relatively small distortions of

visual space. The distortions relate to size, shape,
direction or movements.

-- Wade (1982, p. 162)

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 Illusoriness and veridicality
• The notion of illusory perception always implies a
reality.
– By definition, illusions are dissociations from the physical
reality.

• By extension, illusory perception can be compared

with veridical perception.
– Veridical perception à true percept
– Illusory perception à false percept

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 Illusoriness and veridicality
• The Muller-Lyer illusion

Todorovic (2020)
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 Illusoriness and veridicality
• Simultaneous contrast

Todorovic (2020)
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 Illusoriness and veridicality
• Zollner illusion

Todorovic (2020)
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 Illusoriness and veridicality
• Ehrenstein—Orbison illusion

Todorovic (2020)
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 Illusoriness and veridicality
• Induced grating illusion

Todorovic (2020)
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 Cornsweet illusion
• Our visual system does NOT function as a light
meter.

• What determines luminance?

– Lighting condition
– Surface properties of the object, e.g., reflectance

• Our visual system tries to estimate the reflectance

instead of just the luminance.

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 An extension to 3D representation
• Knill and Kersten (1992) discovered that 3D object
percept could influence basic lightness judgment.

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 White or black?

Anderson & Winawer (2005)

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 Why study visual illusions?

In fact, a general guiding idea in illusion research is

that the same processes that lead to veridical
judgments for some classes of stimuli lead to
illusions for other classes of stimuli. (p. 1192)

One can hope that eventually visual illusions will

help reveal visual truths. (p. 1193)

-- Todorovic (2020)

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 Face adaptation

Webster & MacLeod (2011)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0360
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 Summary
• We are far from a complete understanding of even
some basic perceptual phenomenon.

• Vision science is fun!

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