Difference between revisions of "Orbison illusion" - New World Encyclopedia
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Like similar perceptual illusions, the Orbison illusions help researchers better understand how the brain and visual system process information. | Like similar perceptual illusions, the Orbison illusions help researchers better understand how the brain and visual system process information. | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 12:54, 31 October 2007
An Orbison illusion is an optical illusion where straight lines appear distorted. There are several variants of the Orbison illusion. The illusion is similar to both the Hering and Wundt illusions.
Discovery
The Orbison illusion is named for psychologist William Orbison, who first published his findings in a 1939 issue of the American Journal of Psychology. In addition to the figures that have taken his name, Orbison also included figures such as the Hering and Wundt illusions in his article, which discussed the potential cause of these sorts of illusions.
Description
The Orbison figures most often involve a figure placed over a background of concentric circles or radial lines. The figure appears distorted because of the background image; squares appear to bulge and circles often appear elliptical.
Explanation
Orbison explained these illusions with the theory that fields of force were created in the perception of the background patterns. Any line that intersected these fields would be subsequently distorted in a predictable way. This theory, in the eyes of modern science, does not have much validity.[1]
It is still unclear exactly what causes the figures to appear distorted. Theories involving the processing of angles by the brain have been suggested. Interactions between the neurons in the visual system may cause the perception of a distorted figure.[2] Other theories suggest that the background gives an impression of perspective. As a result, our brain sees the shape of the figure as distorted.
Applications
Like similar perceptual illusions, the Orbison illusions help researchers better understand how the brain and visual system process information.
Notes
- ↑ Robinson, James Outram. The Psychology of Visual Illusion p72. 1998. Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 0486404498
- ↑ Bolouki, Sara, Roger Grosse, Honglak Lee, and Andrew Ng. Optical Illusion Standford University. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Shepard, Roger N. Mind Sights: Original Visual Illusions, Ambiguities, and Other Anomalies, With a Commentary on the Play of Mind in Perception and Art 1990. W. H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 07121333
- Seckel, Al. The Art of Optical Illusions 2000. Carlton Books. ISBN 1842220543
- The Mind's Eye, Readings from SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, W. H. Freeman and Company, 1986
External links
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