MAKE: Blog: Motion Binding illusion

Motion Binding illusion

Make 662
This is pretty interesting, follow the link and watch the motion of the blue lines, then turn on the occluders..

Technically the mechanism at work here is known as "motion binding". When the edges of the diamond are covered by occluders with the same colour as the background (here, white) there is no information on the vertices of the square. Now the ends of the line become a property of the line and there is insufficient information to detect the circular movement.

The reappearance of the diamond (with occluders invisible) on eccentric viewing is probably caused by blurring the distracting line ends.

Motion Binding illusion - [via] Link.

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Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: heltoupee on June 5, 2007 at 9:24 AM

neat. You can also 'decrease the amount of information' you receive by not looking directly at the animation. Follow the link and scroll it up to the top of the page, and focus on the bottom of the page, keeping the animation in your peripheral vision. At least for me, It appeared as a diamond moving in a circular pattern at that point, even with the blinders off.

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