How optical illusions are illuminating vital medical research
New York — At the Museum of Illusions in New York City, around every corner is a wonder for the eyes. There's a vase that's a face, art that moves with you, and a room that seems to go on forever.
It's a funhouse for our perceptions, built for the TikTok age. But the visual tricks are windows into how the mind works, and they fascinate scientists.
"The brain uses all the information it can get to figure out what's in front of it," Dr. Martin Doherty, a psychology professor at the University of East Anglia in England, told CBS News.
Doherty has studied one particular puzzle for years called the Ebbinghaus illusion, an optical illusion which shows how size perception can be manipulated using surrounding shapes.
"The illusion works by using context to mess around with your perception," Doherty explains.
Doherty long thought that everyone saw the Ebbinghaus illusion the same way. But in a study published in March in the journal Scientific Reports , he and his colleagues found that radiologists who have years of training to ignore visual distractions actually see the image differently and accurately.
In the study, researchers tested 44 experts in "medical image interpretation" — radiographers and radiologists — against a control group of nonexperts consisting of psychology and medical students.
They found that the experts were "significantly less susceptible to all illusions except for the Shepard Tabletops, demonstrating superior perceptual accuracy."
"According to the theory, that shouldn't happen," Doherty said. "It shouldn't be possible. No previous research has shown that you can learn to see through them."
One other group has also been shown to solve the illusion, young children. But that ability goes away after age 7, Doherty said.
"We think that's because it takes time to learn to integrate context into your perception," Doherty said.
It's evidence of the deep abilities of a trained brain. But for most of us, illusions are proof of our limitations.
"When you see these visuals, it's just like your brain just starts going crazy," museumgoer Kevin Paguay said.
It's also a reminder that you cannot always believe what you see.
Video shows Air India plane crashing in Ahmedabad
Air India plane crashes shortly after takeoff, carrying more than 240 people
Israel ready to launch operation into Iran, U.S. officials say
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
6 secrets to surviving a plane crash
By: Jorge Mitssunaga Ben Sherwood, author of "Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that could save your life" explains why sitting within five rows of an emergency exit on a plane may have helped one passenger survive the deadly Air India plane crash.
Business Journals
13 hours ago
- Business Journals
St. Louis program offers global STEM and entrepreneurial education to students in under-resourced communities
On a Monday afternoon at Vashon High School in north St. Louis, a group of students take turns sharing answers for today's warmup. Inspired by a TikTok trend, they've been asked to reflect on their experiences as leaders in Show Me the World Project, an international learning experience rooted in STEM and entrepreneurship. 'Of course I get donations with a good pitch,' one student responds with conviction. 'Of course I know the difference between light, medium and dark roast coffee,' another says confidently. 'Of course I set a good example for my peers,' yet another student says with pride. Show Me the World Project dates back to 2012, when Samantha Lurie was in her fifth year of teaching biology at Vashon and participated in a school swap at Clayton High School with a group of students. The experience sparked big conversations around educational equity, as her students saw a huge gap in the opportunities and resources afforded to them at Vashon compared to students at Clayton. They wanted better textbooks, more electives and, most importantly, they wanted to travel abroad. 'I thought, 'Wow, what great advocacy, but I have no idea how we're going to fundraise all this money,'' Lurie says. expand The group set their sights on a trip to Costa Rica to align with the school's biology curriculum, which would also be accompanied by engaging lessons in STEM, culture and leadership. Eventually, they were able to fundraise enough money to cover the trip — but Lurie realized she had a much bigger opportunity on her hands. Lurie likes to say that the Show Me the World Project was founded when an educator, a scientist and an entrepreneur came together to pursue the vision that the collective community imagined and defined. With the help of co-founders Boahemaa Adu-Oppong, the director of data science and computational biology at Terrana Biosciences, and Sylvester Chisom, the CEO and founder of Global CTE Learning, Lurie has been able to refine the program, expand its education in STEM and entrepreneurship and make it accessible to many more students in under-resourced communities across the metro. The 501c3 nonprofit organization consists of much more than just a trip abroad, incorporating a robust 18-month curriculum of engaging, hands-on lessons in STEM, culture, leadership, finance and entrepreneurship. Adu-Oppong developed the program's STEM curriculum, leveraging existing modules she helped develop for Washington University in St. Louis' Young Scientist Program while a Ph.D. student and tailoring them to the Show Me the World Project. She developed a set curriculum and continues to work closely with teachers at participating high schools to execute the STEM lessons, which are housed across several modules that also incorporate education pertaining to global competency, cultural awareness, entrepreneurship and leadership. To kick off the project, students learn about the ecosystem, food web and native animals and plant species of the country they'll be visiting at the end of the year, such as Costa Rica or Ecuador. Students also get hands-on experience in entrepreneurship working in the project's specialty coffee program, which features single-origin beans from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru. The coffee is available to purchase on the nonprofit's website, and students also sell the light, medium and dark roasts at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market. expand After the coffee program was launched in the 2016-2017 school year, the group was able to take 28 students abroad, up from 10. Eventually, the founders hope coffee sales can fully support the programming, but they currently rely heavily on support from the community. Donors big and small keep the project running, and in 2023, the founders received a $50,000 Food City grant from the Serving Our Communities foundation. Within the first two years of the project, participating students increased their GPAs by 50%, and 90% scored proficient or advanced on the biology state exam, compared to 7% of the total school population. More students are matriculating through college and studying abroad, too, with many going on to a career in science or starting their own businesses. Currently, the project works with students at Vashon, Soldan and University City high schools, and Kairos Academies, with more partnerships on the horizon. 'There's excitement around it and we hope to reach more students and more schools as we continue to grow,' Chisom says. 'That really is our mission — to unlock that travel component, to help expand their worldview, and prepare more students with these unique experiential learning opportunities so that they can find themselves in the world.' Explore more stories about inspiring St. Louis entrepreneurs who are contributing to the growth and success of the area's startup community. STLMade is a movement within the St. Louis metro that shines a light on the amazing things our innovative, tenacious, big-hearted people are doing. It's supported by a region-wide collaboration of residents, local leaders, institutions, organizations, businesses and nonprofits helping to tell our story — that St. Louis is a place where you can start up, stand out and stay.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
How optical illusions are illuminating vital medical research
New York — At the Museum of Illusions in New York City, around every corner is a wonder for the eyes. There's a vase that's a face, art that moves with you, and a room that seems to go on forever. It's a funhouse for our perceptions, built for the TikTok age. But the visual tricks are windows into how the mind works, and they fascinate scientists. "The brain uses all the information it can get to figure out what's in front of it," Dr. Martin Doherty, a psychology professor at the University of East Anglia in England, told CBS News. Doherty has studied one particular puzzle for years called the Ebbinghaus illusion, an optical illusion which shows how size perception can be manipulated using surrounding shapes. "The illusion works by using context to mess around with your perception," Doherty explains. Doherty long thought that everyone saw the Ebbinghaus illusion the same way. But in a study published in March in the journal Scientific Reports , he and his colleagues found that radiologists who have years of training to ignore visual distractions actually see the image differently and accurately. In the study, researchers tested 44 experts in "medical image interpretation" — radiographers and radiologists — against a control group of nonexperts consisting of psychology and medical students. They found that the experts were "significantly less susceptible to all illusions except for the Shepard Tabletops, demonstrating superior perceptual accuracy." "According to the theory, that shouldn't happen," Doherty said. "It shouldn't be possible. No previous research has shown that you can learn to see through them." One other group has also been shown to solve the illusion, young children. But that ability goes away after age 7, Doherty said. "We think that's because it takes time to learn to integrate context into your perception," Doherty said. It's evidence of the deep abilities of a trained brain. But for most of us, illusions are proof of our limitations. "When you see these visuals, it's just like your brain just starts going crazy," museumgoer Kevin Paguay said. It's also a reminder that you cannot always believe what you see. Video shows Air India plane crashing in Ahmedabad Air India plane crashes shortly after takeoff, carrying more than 240 people Judge denies Mahmoud Khalil's request for release from ICE detention
