Ebbinghaus Illusion

Definition:

The Ebbinghaus Illusion is a visual illusion that demonstrates how the perception of an object’s size is influenced by the size of surrounding objects. It is also known as the Titchener circles or the Ebbinghaus-Titchener illusion.

Description:

The Ebbinghaus Illusion is characterized by two central objects, typically circles, surrounded by a series of smaller or larger circles. The central objects are of the same size, but due to the presence of the surrounding circles, they appear to be different sizes. The perception of the central object’s size is influenced by the perceived size of the surrounding circles, causing a distortion in perception.

Explanation:

This illusion occurs due to the principles of visual perception, specifically the concept of size constancy and contextual influences. Size constancy is the tendency to perceive an object as maintaining its size, regardless of changes in its retinal image size. However, the Ebbinghaus Illusion exploits this principle by using the surrounding circles as context, making the central objects appear smaller or larger than their actual size based on the relative sizes of the surrounding circles.

Application:

The Ebbinghaus Illusion is widely used in research and experiments related to visual perception and cognitive psychology. It helps scientists and psychologists understand the mechanisms involved in size perception and the influence of context on perception. Additionally, this illusion serves as an important tool for studying the visual processing and neural mechanisms of the human brain.