| Contributors: | Robert T. Arrigo: Programming Gordon Redding: Author |
| Overview: |
Much can be learned about the human visual system when we explore the ways in which our brain fails to accurately interpret certain kinds of visual scenes in the world. The Müller-Lyer Illusion is one of the most famous such cases. In this module you begin by becoming a subject in an online Müller-Lyer experiment. Then learn about one interesting theory that seeks to explain why we are susceptible to such illusions. Finally, consider the extent to which you believe that the experimental data derived from the experiment confirms the truth of the theory previously advanced.
MODULE COMPONENTS:
These pages will take the student from being a subject in a Müller-Lyer experiment to exploring a fairly recent theoretical explanation for the phenomenon.
- Visual Illusions and YOU!
- A MÜller-Lyer Online Experiment
- Debriefing for Subjects of Experiment
- Introduction to Visual Ilusions
- Analysis of MÜller-Lyer Experiment
- Results of MÜller-Lyer Experiment
- Other Theories of the MÜller-Lyer Illusion
- Visual Illusions -- Overhead
Highlights of the Introduction to Visual Illusions page -- for projecting in the classroom.
Credits:
This module was supported by National Science Foundation Grants #9981217 and #0127561.