Online Optical Illusion: Café Wall Illusion

Psychological Articles Explaining Online Optical Illusions

By Boomeryearbook.com

Café Wall Illusion is a classical online optical illusion; reported in 1979 by Professor Richard L. Gregory and Priscilla Heard of The University of Bristol, England. They derived this pattern from a pile of white and black ceramic tiles on the front wall of a café at St Michael’s Hill, Bristol. Later, this pattern became a very popular online optical illusion. This online optical illusion is another example of the limitations in the human optical system, leading the brain to form deceptive impressions.

In this optical illusion, your see rows of alternate black and white blocks with gray borders. What do you perceive about the horizontal lines in this online optical illusiononline optical illusion are parallel and straight. Don’t believe us? Measure it yourself by placing a ruler against each line.

Explanation of Café Wall online optical illusion

There are various explanations for the Café Wall online optical illusion. Psychological articles give a neuropsychological explanation suggesting that this online optical illusion results from limitations in the balancing act of the inhibitory and excitatory neurons in the brain. Psychological articles inform us that inhibitory neurons dim down perceived bright areas while excitatory neurons brighten perceived dark areas. Hence, in this online optical illusion, the areas in which white is prominent, become dimmed, and the areas surrounded by dark areas are brightened.

Moreover, the limitation in the reaction between the two neurons projects slopes on the straight line. The slopes are in opposite directions according to the dimmed and brightened areas. Hence, you see the straight lines in this online optical illusion to be wavy.

The Café Wall online optical illusion works on the principle of contrast. Along with numerous other online optical illusions explained in Boomer Yearbook that also result from the effect of contrast on the perception of the visual stimulus.

This Psychological Article on Online Optical Illusions is part of Boomer Yearbook’s continuing series of out of the box suggestions on how to alleviate elderly problems and keep our brains young. We believe knowledge is power. We’d love to hear what you think.

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