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The Minds Eye: Optical Illusion
Scene from "Brain Story - The Mind's Eye" illustrating the distorted room illusion. This shows that at least some of what we "see" is actually imagined. Presented by Professor Susan Greenfield CBE. Copyright BBC 2000.
Dec 12, 2007 12:26 AM
Re: The Minds Eye: Optical Illusion
I don't need to take Acid now. I pretty much know what it's going to be like after that. Woah.
By: tjbassoon
Re: The Minds Eye: Optical Illusion
Your brain doesn't "create an image of the room based on what [we] expect all rooms to look." Our brain is creating an image with what is given to us! We see what looks to be a perfectly normal room, but that isn't the case. That doesn't mean that our brain is changing the image or anything; that's just stupid. Dumb comment in a pretty cool video.
By: Wonderr
Re: The Minds Eye: Optical Illusion
Umm, no, the brain does that. Didn't you ever say "Oh, I would have sworn you said blahblahblah". That is the brain accepting information until it feels it has enough to draw a conclusion, at which point it stops accepting stimuli. It's the same when the brain see's what it instantly labels as "familiar" objects and situations. Our brains are remarkably lazy when it comes to actual attention to detail.
By: Ikiro
Re: The Minds Eye: Optical Illusion
Ikiro is right, our minds do change objects based on our expectations, but this isn't the greatest case. We are given a two dimensional image of a room. Our mind preceives it as 3D but all it reallly is is an image on our 2D computer screen.
The real illusion here though is that from this angle the room is perfectly normal when really it is very obtuse in shape. The small girl is alot farther away than the big one.
The real illusion here though is that from this angle the room is perfectly normal when really it is very obtuse in shape. The small girl is alot farther away than the big one.
By: cheezsteak
Re: The Minds Eye: Optical Illusion
You really have to experience one of these rooms -- I've gone in a couple at funhouses, etc.
Under those conditions, you really see that your brain will not accept the distortions of the room. It's actually difficult to walk through them -- the floor and ceiling are heavily slanted, but your mind keeps processing them as flat.
Under those conditions, you really see that your brain will not accept the distortions of the room. It's actually difficult to walk through them -- the floor and ceiling are heavily slanted, but your mind keeps processing them as flat.
By: StrangeAttractor
Re: The Minds Eye: Optical Illusion
If im understanding you guys correctly, I don't think any of you are incorrect about what you're trying to explain.
I think what the original poster was trying to say is that our inability to perceive the room as it really exists isn't based on our familiarity with *rooms* or our memories of them. But the concept is that our brain is relying on how our brain expects spacial geometry to work... lines of convergence and perspective giving us the visual clues to judge the dimensions of that room.
I think what the original poster was trying to say is that our inability to perceive the room as it really exists isn't based on our familiarity with *rooms* or our memories of them. But the concept is that our brain is relying on how our brain expects spacial geometry to work... lines of convergence and perspective giving us the visual clues to judge the dimensions of that room.
By: hypersapien
