Visual Illusions: Their Causes, Characteristics and ApplicationsLuckiesh, Matthew
Science
Visual Illusions: Their Causes, Characteristics and Applications
Luckiesh, Matthew
Optical illusions
The relative distances or depth locations of different parts of an object
can be perceived as fluctuating or even reversing. This is due to
fluctuations in attention, and illusions of reversible perspective are of
this class. It is quite impossible for one to fix his attention in perfect
continuity upon any object. There are many involuntary eye-movements which
cannot be overcome and under normal conditions certain details are likely
to occupy the focus of attention alternately or successively. This applies
equally well to the auditory sense and perhaps to the other senses.
Emotional coloring has much to do with the fixation of attention; that
which we admire, desire, love, hate, etc., is likely to dwell more in the
focus of attention than that which stirs our emotions less.
A slight suggestion of forward and backward movements can be produced by
successively intercepting the vision of one eye by an opaque card or other
convenient object. It has been suggested that the illusion is due to the
consequent variations in the tension of convergence. Third dimensional
movements may be produced for binocular or monocular vision during
eye-closure. They are also produced by opening the eyes as widely as
possible, by pressure on the eye-balls, and by stressing the eyelids.
However, these are not important and are merely mentioned in passing.
An increase in the brightness of an object is accompanied by an apparent
movement toward the observer, and conversely a decrease in brightness
produces an apparent movement in the opposite direction. These effects may
be witnessed upon viewing the glowing end of a cigar which is being smoked
by some one a few yards away in the darkness. Rapidly moving thin clouds
may produce such an effect by varying the brightness of the moon. Some
peculiar impressions of this nature may be felt while watching the
flashing light of some light-houses or of other signaling stations. It has
been suggested that we naturally appraise brighter objects as nearer than
objects less bright. However, is it not interesting to attribute the
apparent movement to irradiation? (See Chapter VIII.) A bright object
appears larger than a dark object of the same size and at the same
distance. When the same object varies in brightness it remains in
consciousness the same object and therefore of constant size; however, the
apparent increase in size as it becomes brighter must be accounted for in
some manner and there is only one way open. It must be attributed a lesser
distance than formerly and therefore the sudden increase in brightness
mediates a consciousness of a movement forward, that is, toward the
observer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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