Does Active Control Eliminate the Aperture Illusion?

Abstract

When a contour moves behind a circular aperture, observers misperceive the contour's motion as perpendicular to its orientation regardless of its true motion. This aperture illusion is relevant to the design of technologies that limit an observer's field of view, for example, cameras used in minimally-invasive surgery. Thus, it is important to determine the conditions under which the illusion occurs and how to eliminate it. In prior studies of the aperture illusion, observers passively viewed displays in which a line moved behind an aperture. Here, we demonstrated that the illusion occurred when participants actively controlled the line's motion. Furthermore, the aperture illusion was smaller with a rectangular aperture compared with a circle or octagon. Further research of this kind will help improve the design of technologies that limit an observer's field of view.

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