Psych as a Natural Science-discussion

Illusions & Visual Phenomena (michaelbach.de)

Option 1: Explore why visual illusions occur

Find a visual illusion from Michael Bach’s web site (see link above) that appeals to you. Briefly describe this visual illusion and what it makes you feel like.

What does this illusion reveal about the normal perception of the brain?

What kind of interpretation error causes the illusion to occur?

What are the broader implications for how we experience the world? Do we experience the world directly or is psychological experience more like an interpretation of reality?

• Option 2: Why don’t we experience the blind spot?
• There is a hole in each one of your eyeballs called the optic disk. This is where veins enter the eyeball and where neurons (the axons of the ganglion cells) exit the eyeball. Why do you not see two holes in the world all the time? Close one eye now. Why do you not see a hole in the world now? To “experience” a blind spot, follow the instructions in this website: http://michaelbach.de/ot/cog_blindSpot/index.html