Illusions of bent line

A recent paper offered an explanation of the Poggendorf illusion, assuming that it results from a failure of the visual system to make a perfect resolution of acute angles. Variations of the illusion were drawn eliminating all acute angles, and the illusion was shown to remain in full strength. A variation of the figure preserving the acute angle was drawn, and the illusion was found to reverse in direction. Several theoretical interpretations are considered but none accepted, and it is concluded that the illusion remains unexplained.     

Illusions prepared as stereograms

The loci of organization and the modes of operation of certain perceptual mechanisms may be determined by presenting appropriate stimuli independently to each eye in such a way that they become superimposed in stereoscopic vision. It is possible that understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the appearance of certain “geometrical illusions” may be furthered by adopting this procedure. The two functional components of a sample of illusions are distinguished and illustrated in the form of stereograms.     

Illusions in modal reasoning

According to the mental model theory, models represent what is true, but not what is false. One unexpected consequence is that certain inferences should have compelling, but invalid, conclusions. Three experiments corroborated the occurrence of such illusions in reasoning about possibilities. When problems had the heading "Only one of the premises is true," the participants considered the truth of each premise in turn, but neglected the fact that when one premise is true, the others are false. When two-premise problems had the heading "One of the premises is true and one is false," the participants still neglected the falsity of one of the premises. As predicted, however, the illusions were reduced when reasoners were told to check their conclusions against the constraint that only one of the premises was true. We discuss alternative explanations for illusory inferences and their implications for current theories of reasoning.     

Illusions and Knowing What Is Real

Geometrical illusions are displays that give false impressions that observers take to be accurate. They have traditionally been cited as evidence against the naive realist claim that people see the world as it "really" is. Such illusions, however, often depend on their being viewed from a single vantage point (Kennedy & Portal, 1990). In Gibsonian terms, they depend on the availability of impoverished information. In this study, spatial transformations were applied to line-length (Sander parallelogram) and area (Jastrow curves) illusions to provide information to observers about veridical size. In particular, the reversal of certain parts of the displays resulted in informative invariants that specified the veridical nature of the parts. Most observers were able to use the information.     

Speciesism,Arbitrariness and Moral Illusions

Philosophia - Just as one line appears to be longer than another in an optical illusion, we can have a spontaneous moral judgment that one individual is more important than another. Sometimes such...     

Positive Illusions and Coping with Adversity

ABSTRACT We review the literature showing that positive illusions (i.e., self-aggrandizement, unrealistic optimism, and exaggerated perceptions of control) are common and associated with successful adjustment to stressful events, including conditions of extreme adversity. Using theory and recent data, we offer a basis for integrating positive illusions with the constraints of reality. We explicitly contrast the social psychological model of positive illusions with a personality viewpoint that addresses the question “Do higher levels of positive illusions predict higher levels of adjustment?” These issues are explored in the context of people coping with an array of normal stressful events, as well as those coping with more extreme stressful events, including cancer, heart disease, and HIV infection. Life is seldom as unendurable as, to judge by the facts, it ought to be. —Brooks Atkinson

相似文献   

积极幻想研究述评

积极幻想是当代积极心理学的一个研究主题, 它是指个体在生活中或在面临威胁性情境、压力性事件时所做出的一种积极心理适应。积极幻想的内涵较为丰富, 其三种主要表现形式分别为：不切实际的自我积极看法、夸大个人对现实生活的控制感、对未来的盲目乐观。积极幻想的研究方法主要有问卷法和实验法, 目前心理学界对积极幻想的研究主要涉及心理健康、心理资源、恋爱关系以及跨文化等领域。     

Vibration-Induced Kinesthetic Illusions and Corticospinal Excitability Changes

The authors' aim was to investigate the changes of corticospinal excitability during kinesthetic illusions induced by tendon vibration. Motor-evoked potentials in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation were recorded from the vibrated flexor carpi radialis and its antagonist, extensor carpi radialis. The illusions were evoked under vision conditions without feedback for the position of the wrist (open or closed eyes). In these two conditions motor-evoked potential changes during vibration in the antagonist were not identical. This discrepancy may be a result of 2 simultaneously acting, different and opposite influences and the balance between them depends on visual conditions. Thus, the illusion was accompanied by the facilitation of corticospinal excitability in both vibrated muscle and its antagonist.