Café wall illusion
The café wall illusion, also known as the Münsterberg illusion,
A version of the illusion was first described by Hugo Münsterberg in 1894.[2][3][4] It has been rediscovered several times, including under the name kindergarten illusion in 1898 by A. H. Pierce,[5] and under its current name in 1973 by Richard Gregory.[6] According to Gregory, this effect was observed by a member of his laboratory, Steve Simpson, in the tiles of the wall of a café at the bottom of St Michael's Hill, Bristol.
In the construction of the illusion often each "brick" is surrounded by a layer of "mortar" intermediate between the dark and light colours of the "bricks".[7]
In attempts at its deconstruction, the illusion was ascribed largely to the irradiation illusion (apparent greater size of a white area than of a black one),[4][8] and the image disappears when black and white are replaced by different colours of the same brightness.[9] But a component of the illusion remains even when all optical and retinal components are factored out. Contrast polarities seem to be the determining factor in the tilt's direction.[10]
See also
- Visual illusions
- Geometrical-optical illusions
References
- ^ "Münsterberg illusion". Oxford Reference. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- doi:10.1068/p070123. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Münsterberg, Hugo (1894). Pseudoptics. New York: Milton Bradley.
- ^ a b Münsterberg, H. (1897). "Die verschobene Schachbrettfigur". Zeitschrift für Psychologie. 15: 184–88.
- doi:10.1037/h0070595.
- PMID 503767.
- .
- ^ Pierce, A. H. (1901). Studies in Auditory and Visual Space Perception. London: Longmans Green.
- doi:10.1068/p5646.
- PMID 15035325.
External links
- An interactive web app for demonstrating the Café wall illusion
- An interactive version of the Café wall illusion that allows for adjusting the offset and turning the black boxes into white boxes
- An animated proof that the horizontal lines are parallel and straight
- The original café in Bristol on Google Maps Street View