optical illusion
Quick Summary
An optical illusion is a misrepresentation of a real sensory stimulus, leading to a perception that contradicts objective reality. These illusions can arise from factors beyond an individual's control, such as the way light behaves, or from inadequate information like poor illumination. They can also stem from the physical characteristics of our sensory organs, like the shape of the eye's lens.1
Illusions are distinct from hallucinations, which lack an external source of stimulation. Both are common experiences and not necessarily signs of psychiatric issues. Optical illusions can involve visual distortions, such as a pencil appearing bent in water due to light refraction. They can also result from how our brain processes visual information, leading to misinterpretations of sensory cues.1
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- Gestalt psychology
…discovered the phi phenomenon, an optical illusion in which stationary objects shown in rapid succession, transcending the threshold at which they can be perceived separately, appear to move. The explanation of this phenomenon—also known as persistence of vision and experienced when viewing motion pictures—provided strong support for Gestalt principles.
Read More…discovered the phi phenomenon, an optical illusion in which stationary objects shown in rapid succession, transcending the threshold at which they can be perceived separately, appear to move. The explanation of this phenomenon—also known as persistence of vision and experienced when viewing motion pictures—provided strong support for Gestalt principles.
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perceptionTemporal (time) relationsStimuli of this sort (which can yield more than one percept) raise such questions as, for example, what determines the initial percept; why do some people first see a vase whereas others see two profiles; why does the initial percept give way to the alternate;…
Read MoreStimuli of this sort (which can yield more than one percept) raise such questions as, for example, what determines the initial percept; why do some people first see a vase whereas others see two profiles; why does the initial percept give way to the alternate;…
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Op art…abstract art that deals with optical illusion. Achieved through the systematic and precise manipulation of shapes and colors, the effects of Op art can be based either on perspective illusion or on chromatic tension; in painting, the dominant medium of Op art, the surface tension is usually maximized to the…
Read More…abstract art that deals with optical illusion. Achieved through the systematic and precise manipulation of shapes and colors, the effects of Op art can be based either on perspective illusion or on chromatic tension; in painting, the dominant medium of Op art, the surface tension is usually maximized to the…
Read More- paintingVolume and space
Illusions of perceptual space are generally created by use of the linear perspectival system, based on the observations that objects appear to the eye to shrink and parallel lines and planes to converge as they approach the horizon, or viewer’s eye level.
Read MoreIllusions of perceptual space are generally created by use of the linear perspectival system, based on the observations that objects appear to the eye to shrink and parallel lines and planes to converge as they approach the horizon, or viewer’s eye level.
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