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Named Optical Illusions

© Dr. John Andraos, 2003

Department of Chemistry, York University

4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ONTARIO M3J 1P3, CANADA
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Ames window
Ames, A. Jr. Psychological Monographs, 1951, 65, No. 324
Pastore, N. Psychological Rev. 1952, 59, 319

Benham's top
Benham, C.E. Nature 1895, 51, 321
von Campenhausen, C.; Schramme, J. Perception 1995, 24, 695

Benussi's figure (stereokinetic effect) (1927)

 2

Bezold effect
von Bezold, W. Die Farbenlehre im hinblick auf kunst undkunstgewerbe,
Braunschweig: Berlin, 1862

Binocular vision (stereopsis)

Wheatstone, C. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. 1838, 128, 371
Wheatstone, C. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. 1852, 142, 1

Café wall illusion

Gregory, R.L.; Heard, P. Perception, 1979, 8, 365
 3

Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet illusion (effect)

O'Brien, V. J. Opt. Soc. Am. 1958, 48, 112
Craik, K.J.W. The Nature of Psychology: a selection of papers essays and other
writings, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, MA, 1966
Cornsweet, T.N. Visual Perception, Academic Press: New York, 1970

Delboeuf illusion
Delboeuf, J.L.R. Bull. Acad. Roy. Belg. 1892, 24, 545

Duchamp's figure (rotoreliefs) (1935)

 4

Ebbinghaus (or Titchener) illusion

Ebbinghaus, H. Z. Psychol. 1897, 13, 401
Titchener, E.B. Lectures on the Elementary Psychology of Feeling and Attention,
Macmillan: New York, 1908

Ehrenstein illusion (figure)

Ehrenstein, W. Z. Psychol. 1941, 150, 83

Emmert's law
Emmert, E. Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde 1881, 19, 443

Fechner colours
Fechner, G.T. Ann. Physik u. Chem. 1838, 232, 227
 5

Fick illusion
Fick, A. Da errone quodam optic asymmetria bulbi effecto, Marburg, 1851
(Dissertation)

Fraser's spiral
Fraser, J. Brit. J. Psychol. 1908, 2, 307

Hering illusion
Hering, E. Beiträge zur Physiologie. Zur Lehre vom Ortsinne der Netzhaut, 5
parts, Leipzig, 1861 - 1864
 6

Hermann grid
Hermann, L. Pflügers Archiv. ges. Physiol. 1870, 3, 13

Impossible figures
Penrose, L.S.; Penrose, R. Brit. J. Psychol. 1958, 49, 31
Escher, M.C. The Waterfall - lithograph, 1961
 7

Jastrow illusion
Jastrow, J. Mind 1889, 11, 539
Jastrow, J. Am. J. Psychol. 1891, 4, 381

Judd illusion
Judd, C.H. Psychological Rev. 1899, 6, 241
 8

Kanizsa figures
Kanizsa, G. Ital. J. Psychol. 1974, 1, 93
Kanizsa, G. Sci. Amer. 1976, 234, 48

Kinetic depth effect

Wallach, H.; O'Connell, D.N. J. Exp. Psychol. 1953, 45, 205
 9

Lipps illusion (1897)

Lipps, T. Z. Psychol. 1896, 12, 39; 275
Lipps, T. Z. Psychol. 1898, 18, 405

Luckiesh-Moss figure
Luckiesh, M.; Moss, F.K. Am. J. Psychol. 1933, 45, 135

o o o

Mach bands
 10
Mach, E. Phil. Mag. 1865, 30[4], 319
Mach, E. Archiv. Anatomie, Physiologie, u. Wissensch. Medicin, 1865, 629
Mach, E.Sitzungsber. Akad. Wissen. Wien 1866, 54(Abt. 2), 131; 393
Mach, E.Sitzungsber. Akad. Wissen. Wien 1868, 57(Abt. 2), 11
Mach, E.Sitzungsber. Akad. Wissen. Wien 1906, 115(Abt. 2a), 633

Müller-Lyer illusion
Müller-Lyer, F.C.Arch. Anatomie u.Physiol. Physiologische Abt. 2 (Suppl.)
1889, 263
Müller-Lyer, F.C.Z. Psychol. 1896, 9, 1
Day, R.H.; Knuth, H. (transl.) Perception 1981, 10, 126
 11
Musatti's figure (stereokinetic effects) (1924)

Necker cube
Necker, L.A. Phil. Mag. 1832, 1[3], 329
 12

Phantom Necker cube

Bradley, D.R.; Petry, H.M. Am. J. Psychol. 1977, 90, 253

Oppel-Kundt illusion (1854)

Kundt, A. Ann. Physik 1863, 120, 118

Orbison illusion
Orbison, W.D. Am. J. Psychol. 1939, 52, 31
 13

Parks effect (passing a camel through the eye of a needle)

Parks, T.E. Am. J. Psychol. 1965, 78, 145
Rock, I.; Halper, F. Am. J. Psychol. 1969, 82, 425

Phénakistoscope
Plateau, J. Correspondance Mathématique et Physique, 1832, 7, 288; 365

Poggendorff illusion
Burmester, E. Z. Psychologie 1896, 12, 355
Gillman, B. Perception and Psychophysics 1971, 10, 211
Weintraub, D.J.; Krantz, D.H. Perception and Psychophysics 1971, 10, 257
Goldstein, M.B.; Weintraub, D.J. Perception and Psychophysics 1972, 11, 353
Day, R.H. Quart. J. Exp. Psychol. 1973, 25, 535
Day, R.H.; Dickenson, R.G. Brit. J. Psychol. 1976, 67, 537
Gillam, B. Sci. Amer. 1980, 242(Jan.), 102
 14

Corner Poggendorff illusion

Greene, E. Perception 1988, 17, 65

Ponzo illusion (1913)

Prevost-Fechner-Benham subjective colours

Prevost, B. Mémoire de la Société de Physique et d'Histoire naturelle de Genèva
1823 - 1826, 3, 121
Fechner, G.T. Ann. Physik u. Chem. 1838, 232, 227
Cohen, J.; Gordon, D.A. Psychological Bull. 1949, 46, 97
 15
Pulfrich's amazing pendulum
Pulrich, C.Naturwissen. 1921, 10, 553
Lit, A. Am. J. Psychol. 1949, 62, 159
Enright, J.T. Am. Scientist 1970, 58, 536
Walker, J. Sci. Amer. 1978, 238, 142

Richards disk
Richards, W. Perception and Motor Skills , 1968, 27, 1169

Rotating black and white disk patterns producing subjective colours

Bagley disk
Bagley, F.W. (Miss) Am. J. Psychol. 1902, 13, 488

Baumann disk
Baumann, C. Pflügers Archiv. ges. Physiol. 1912, 146, 543

Benham top
Benham, C.E. Nature 1894, 51, 200
Benham, C.E. Nature 1895, 52, 321

Bidwell disk
Bidwell, S. Proc. Roy. Soc. London 1896, 60, 368
Bidwell, S. Proc. Roy. Soc. London 1897, 61, 268

Brücke disk
Brücke, W. Sitzungsber. Math. Naturwiss. Classe d. Kaiserlichen Akad.
Wissensch. 1864, 49[Abt. 2], 128

Colenbrander disk
Colenbrander, M.C. Acta ophthal. Kbh. 1933, 11, 437

Doniselli disk
Doniselli, C.Arch. Fisiol. 1907, 4, 561

Dove disk
Dove, H.W. Ann. Physik u Chem. 1848, 85, 526
Dove, H.W. Darstellung der Farbenlehre und Optische Studien, G.W.F. Müller:
Berlin, 1853

Edridge-Green disk
Edridge-Green, F.W.J. Physiol. 1915 - 1916, 50, xl

Fechner disk
 16
Fechner, G.T. Ann. Physik u. Chem. 1838, 232, 227

Finnegan and Moore disk

Finnegan, J.M.; Moore, B. Nature 1895, 51, 292

Helmholtz disk
Helmholtz, H. von Handbuch der physiologischen Optik, Voss: Hamburg, 1866
Helmholtz, H. von Treatise on Physiological Optics, (translated) Dover: New
York, 1962

Hurst disk
Hurst, C.H. Nature 1895, 52, 510

Kormann disk
Kormann, F. Z. Sinnephysiol. 1931, 62, 158

Rood disk
Rood, O.N. Am. J. Sci. & Arts 1860, 30[2], 182
Rood, O.N. Am. J. Sci. & Arts 1861, 31[2], 417

Smith disk
Smith, J. Rep. Brit. Ass. Adv. Sci. (Notices and Abstracts) 1859, 29, 22
Smith,J. Am. J. Sci. & Arts 1860, 29[2], 276

Wolf disk
Wolf Sci. Amer. 1895, 72, 309

Rubin figure
Rubin, E. Synoplevede Figurer, Gyldendalske: Copenhagen, 1915
Rubin, E. Visuelle wahrgenommene Figuren, Gyldendalske: Copenhagen, 1921

Sander's parallelogram
Sander, F. Neue Psychol. Studien 1931, 8, 311
 17

Simultaneous colour contrast

Chevreul, M. De la loi du contraste simultanédes couleurs et l'assortiment des
objets colorés, Paris, 1839
Martel, Charles (transl.)The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colours and
Their Applications to the Arts, London, 1854 (1st ed.); 1872 (3rd ed.)
Spranton, John (transl.)The Laws of Contrast of Colour, London, 1858
Chevreul, M. Mem. l'Acad. Sci. 1832, 11, 447
Chevreul, M. Compt. Rend. 1858, 47, 196
Chevreul, M. Compt. Rend. 1863, 57, 713
Chevreul, M. Compt. Rend. 1864, 58, 100

Stroboscope
Stampfer, S. Jahrb. Polytechn. Inst. Wien 1834, 18, 237

"Thatcher" illusion
Thompson, P. Perception, 1980, 9, 483
 18

Wagon wheel effect

Quigley, M. Magic Shadows: the story of the origin of motion pictures, Biblo &
Tannen: New York, 1969
Kaufman, L.; Cyrulnick, I.; Kaplowitz, J.; Melnick, G.; Stof, D.Psychologische
Forschung 1971, 34, 343
Kaufman, L. Sight and Mind, Oxford University Press: New York, 1974

Waterfall illusion
Addams, R. Phil. Mag. 1834, 5[3], 373

Wundt illusion
Wundt, W. Gesell. Wiss. Math. Phys. Abh. Leipzig 1898, 24, 53

Zöllner's illusion
Zollner, F.Ann. Physik 1860, 110, 550
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General references on optical illusions:

1. Fineman, Mark The Inquisitive Eye, Oxford University Press: New York, 1981
2. Fineman, Mark The Nature of Visual Illusion, Dover: New York, 1996
3. Gregory, R.L. Eye and Brain : the psychology of seeing, McGraw-Hill: New
York,1997
4. Gregory, R.L. (ed.)The Oxford Companion to the Mind, Oxford University
Press: Oxford, 1987
5. Luckiesh, M. Visual Illusions: their causes, characteristics, and applications,
Dover: New York, 1965
6. Robinson, J.O. The Psychology of Visual Illusion, Dover: New York, 1998
7. Seckel, A. The Art of Optical Illusions, Carleton Books: , 2000
8. Seckel, A. More Optical Illusions, Carleton Books: , 2002
9. Shepard, R.N. Mind Sights, W.H. Freeman: , 1990
10. Tolansky, S. Optical Illusions, Pergamon Press: New York, 1964