Illusion In Motion: Psychological or Physiological?

Spinning Girl Optical Illusion

Spinning Girl Copyright: Nobuyuki Kayahara 2007

By BoomerYearbook.com:The Online Social Networking Site Connecting the Baby Boomers Generation

We have likely all been introduced to optical illusions that either appear to be in motion or have varying directions of motion dependent upon the person observing the illusion. Many a psychological article has been written to explain how and why these optical illusions either appear to be moving or appear to be moving in different directions. Regardless of which psychological articles we read and who we listen to, the explanations are in the very least really interesting.

The Spinning Girl is a more popular illusion that takes observers by surprise. Psychological articles generally agree among their reasons for the difference in directional perception of The Spinning Girl. Most psychological articles’ explanations include the dominance of either the right side or the left side of the brain. Depending upon brain dominance, the observer of The Spinning Girl illusion perceives the silhouette’s motion to be either clockwise or counter-clockwise. There are, however, psychological articles that refute such rationalizations, noting the brain’s plasticity and flexible nature when affected by illness or injury. The Spinning Girl is not the only optical illusion in motion receiving attention in a large number of psychological articles. Other illusions that either include definite motion or simply perceived motion are addressed in multiple ways by various online psychological articles and postings.

Spinning Dot Optical Illusion

This classic online optical illusion is an example of how easily our brains can be fooled. At first glance, the red stripes seem to move in only one direction, but if you stare at the black dot, the red stripes will shift directions.

This candy stripe circle is another optical illusion that has been addressed by psychological articles focusing on illusions in motion. The candy stripe circle differs from The Spinning Girl simply because the movement of the circle is simply perceived rather than actually existing; in contrast, The Spinning Girl is in motion, but her direction is in question. What psychological articles and other medical explanations offer us regarding the supposed motion of the candy stripe circle is related to our vision and how the structure of the eye relays messages to the brain. Scientists and psychologists alike are interested in how and why motion is detected simply from the design and color of a still object. What some psychological articles suggest is that visual perceptions in combination with images familiar to the brain create the optical illusion of motion. Other psychological articles explain the sense of movement by noting the juxtaposition of colors and shapes, forcing the eye to engage in small movements of its own. Kitaoka and Ashida profess in a 2078 psychological article that both color and luminance contribute to the optical illusion of motion.

Whatever the explanation optical illusions are a fascination on multiple levels. While some are easily explained in the simplest psychological articles, others are investigated in-depth with no concrete explanation at all. What is your opinion regarding why we see motion that does not exist or differ in the type of motion we do see? Tell us what you think at BoomerYearbook.com.

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