WE tend to assume that we see our surroundings as they really are, and that our perception of reality is accurate. In fact, what we perceive is merely a neural representation of the world, the brain's best guess of its environment, based on a very limited amount of available information. This is perhaps best demonstrated by visual illusions, in which there is a mismatch between our perception of
20 Vote(s)
January 10, 2010
Desire influences visual perception
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October 28, 2009
Visual illusions can be caused by imagination
A fantastic study just published in Cognition reports that the motion aftereffect illusion, where staring at something constantly moving in one direction causes illusory movement in the opposite direction when you look away, can be caused just by imagining that the movement is happening.The effect is occasionally called the 'waterfall illusion' because it can be triggered by staring at a waterfal
16 Vote(s)
16 Vote(s)
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June 25, 2009
Pressed for time perception
Edge has an interesting article by neuroscientist David Eagleman on the perception of time that describes how we can experience temporal illusions just like we experience visual illusions.I have to say, the piece is a little wordy, so it needs a bit of concentration, but it is well worth the effort.This section has an interesting way of fooling ourselves into perceiving an event before you seem t
8 Vote(s)
8 Vote(s)
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May 15, 2009
Visual Illusion Contest 2009 winners
The results of the annual visual illusion contest have just been announced and the 2009 winner is a doozy.Like all the best visual illusions it's conceptually simple but perceptually striking. In this case a falling ball seems to drop vertically when you look straight at it but seems to glide away at an angle when you see it in your peripheral vision.Rather nicely, you can switch between the two
17 Vote(s)
17 Vote(s)
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