The Brain: the Aspect of Visual Illusions - Essay Example

Movement I think when it comes to the issue of motion, the brain normally does most of the work; hence, it plays a major role in creating what one sees. For instance, although the distance existing between the moon and earth never changes, a moon that has just surfaced normally appears much larger than when it is high in the sky (Hershenson 2). Similarly, at a railway crossing, the red lights flashing, that flare in alteration is static though normally appears to be in motion. Due to these examples, it is therefore evident that not everything that one sees is actually the way it appears (Backus & Oruc). In my opinion, the human brain is quite a powerful organ for it normally plays a major role when it comes to the issue of sight because whereas it is capable of making the visible become invisible, it can also do the vice versa. In this study besides addressing the aspect of visual illusions, it also analyses the issue of movement, this is by relaying information on whether movement is actual or is it just an illusion. Illusions normally come when one tends to perceive something is in a form different from the actual form (Conway et al.). Illusions are of different types, in the case of movement, optical illusion is an illusion related to sight. During the occurrence of an optical illusion, a number of brain regions are involved in accordance with aspects like shape and color. Studies contend the most common form of optical illusion is that of movement especially when objects appear to be in motion but it is the contrary in reality. For instance, when in a film theatre, one normally has the perception that he or she is watching a motion picture though studies prove this is not the case. Films are not motion pictures but rather comprise of thousands of still pictures shown in series and in so doing make the viewer have the perception that they are moving (Carrol & Choi 287). I think this perception is true, whereby a motion comes because of static repeated patterns. Mainly, this comes due to the involuntary eye movements such as blinking, normally triggered by the brain intentionally in a move to create a shortcut, hence not showing some of the information. Studies show that eyeballs of humans are normally in constant vibration, which is imperceptible. However, when one sees an object, neurons end up emitting negative signals stronger compared to the positive ones (Llg & Guillaume 19). This is due to the optical illusions that take place. Optical illusion, also known as illusionary motion is a situation whereby static images seem to be in motion. This is usually because of the cognitive effects that come alongside with the interaction of color contrasts in addition to shape positions. The most common type of optical illusion is that of apparent motion. This is when the displaying of images is done in succession and in a certain frame rate, for instance, in a movie. With the example of the movie, it is evident that one normally seems to notice what the brain sees is important and worth seeing. In a move to relay the only important, things, the brain omits some of the idea by taking a shortcut (“The Brain Bank”). In my opinion, the omission of ides is usually the main reason as to why it is impossible for one to notice the shortcut made until it is already late. For instance, when one sees the red lights at the railway-crossing, one mostly gets the perception that they are in motion only to realize later on that they are still. The reason as to why they appeared that way was because flashing in an alternating mode. Although these brain shortcuts are generally invisible, studies on visual illusions are the reason as to why one is now in a position to comprehend what is actually happening. One remarkable thing about illusions is the fact that although a person might realize things may not be the way they are appearing, he or she still is not in a position to make the brain see it the other way round (“The Brain Bank”). I think this comes due to the manner of one’s conscious mind, which is normally a product of the brain. Studies show that the brain is normally looking for patterns, which is normally because the main objective of a human brain is to come up with information that makes sense to the human being. It is because of this that the brain filters information that it deems irrelevant to relay only information that it sees important. In my opinion, for these shortcuts to take place, there ought to be some form of distractions whereby the person does not notice what actually happened, for instance when one blinks, the brain might take use that period to fill the gap with other information. One example linked to optical illusions is that of a still object appearing to be in motion being a unique one. This is especially when experiencing this illusion whereby most people normally have the perception that their eyes are normally the ones playing tricks on them (Neirenberg). In my opinion, the eyes have nothing to do with the illusion because the brain is the reason behind these sorts of illusions. Studies claim illusions are a good example in the case of proving that not all that one sees is accurate. The brain is the main source of information, hence plays a major role in determining what one is worth seeing, although sometimes it is capable of making the visible appear invisible besides turning invisible visible. In my opinion, the brain intentionally omits some information by creating shortcuts, which is because the main objective of the brain is to create patterns that make it easy for the human being to comprehend. For instance, red lights at a railway crossing normally appear to be in motion despite the fact that they are static only that they are flashing in an alternating pattern. One other example is that of a film, when watching a film, one normally has the perception that the film is in continuous motion, this is normally not the case, this is because films are normally made thousands of still images being shown in succession. One remarkable thing about visual illusions is that although one might know that things may not be the way they seem to appear, he or she still is no position to make the brain see it the other way. Work Cited Backus, Benjamin & Oruc, Ipek. “Illusory motion from change over time in the response to contrast and luminance.” Journal of Vision. 2014. Web. 22 July 2014. Carroll, Noël & Choi, Jinhee. Philosophy of Film and Motion Pictures: An Anthology. Oxford: Blackwell Pub, 2009. Print. Conway, Bevil, R., Kitaoka, Akiyoshi, Yazdanbakhsh, Arash, Pack, Christopher, C. & Livingstone, Margaret, S. “Neural Basis for a Powerful Static Motion Illusion.” The Journal of Neuroscience. 2008. Web. 22 July 2014. Hershenson, Maurice. The Moon Illusion. United Kingdom: Psychology Press, 2013. Print. Illusions: How Our Brain Can Trick Us. The Brain Bank. 2014. Web. 22 July 2014. Llg, Uwe J, and Guillaume S. Masson. Dynamics of Visual Motion Processing: Neuronal, Behavioral, and Computational Approaches. New York: Springer, 2010. Print. Neirenberg, Cari. “Optical Illusions: When Your Brain Can’t Believe Your Eyes.” ABC News. 2009. Web. 22 July 2014. Read More