Test your Brain with these Top 10 Visual Illusions_ Part 1/2

By: Dr. Pascale Michelon

The brain has two hemi­spheres, each divided into four lobes. Each lobe is respon­si­ble for dif­fer­ent func­tions. For instance the frontal cor­tex (in blue below) is respon­si­ble for deci­sion mak­ing and plan­ning; the tem­po­ral lobe (in green) for lan­guage and mem­ory; and the pari­etal lobe (in yel­low) for spa­tial skills. The occip­i­tal lobe (in red) is entirely devoted to vision: It is thus the place where visual illu­sions happen.

The frontal lobe rep­re­sents around 41% of total cere­bral cor­tex vol­ume; the tem­po­ral lobe 22%; the pari­etal lobe 19%; and the occip­i­tal lobe 18%. How the visual sys­tem processes shapes, col­ors, sizes, etc. has been researched for decades. One way to under­stand more about this sys­tem is to look at how we can trick it, that is, to look at how the brain reacts to visual illusions.
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Here are 10 visual illu­sions to com­bine fun and learn­ing about the visual system.
We know you know there is a trick since these are illu­sions… but don’t try to be smarter than your brain: Just enjoyed being tricked!
To go beyond the illu­sions, read about what hap­pens in your brain while you expe­ri­ence them.

1. Can you put the fish in the fishbowl?
Stare at the yel­low stripe in the mid­dle of the fish in the pic­ture below for about 10–20 sec. Then move your gaze to the fish bowl.

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2. Are the squares inside the blue and yel­low squares all the same color?

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3. Are the hor­i­zon­tal lines straight or crooked?

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4. Are the cir­cles sta­tic or moving?

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5. How many legs does this ele­phant have?

6. Are the two hor­i­zon­tal lines of the same length?

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7. Do you see gray dots at the inter­sec­tions of the white lines?

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8. Are the two orange cir­cles of the same size?

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9. Does Lincoln’s face look normal?

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10. Can you see a baby?

Check your answers and learn about what was going on in your brain while you expe­ri­enced each of these illusions: http://learning-difficulties.blogspot.com/2014/02/test-your-brain-with-these-top-10_25.htmlh

Article retrieved from: http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2010/10/27/test-your-brain-with-these-top-10-visual-illusions/

Posted in: Brain Teaser