A fun vision game to try
Since a big part of my major in college had to do with neurobiology, and in fact I studied vision in some reasonable depth, I should probably understand why this happens. And I have some ideas about it, but it's been a long time, and basically - I just think it's cool. Well, cool and a little freaky.
Okay. You know how if you stare at something that stands out against a more brightly lit surrounding area, you can close your eyes and see a negative image that sticks around for a second or two and then starts to fade? Yes? Good. Now. As the "control" in this little experiment, look at something. Say, a painting on your wall. Keep staring at it, and tip your head to the side. Then to the other side. Does the painting seem to tip at the same time? No, it stays straight up and down, because your eyes stay focused on it.
Now, stare at the painting normally again, and then close your eyes and verify that you can see a negative image. The sharper the negative image, the better this will work. Now, with your eyes closed, tip your head to the side. THE IMAGE TIPS TOO! It tips the same amount as your head has moved. If you move your head back upright, the negative image rights itself again. Isn't that weird? Doesn't it seem odd to you? Or am I just crazy. I mean, I can think about what's happening, and the light receptor cells in the eye and everything, and it almost makes sense to me, to the point where I wonder if I'm nuts for thinking it's weird at all. I mean, if I turned my head to look the other way, I wouldn't expect my negative image to move out of my visual field. But then all of a sudden I'm like, "No! It's totally weird! Why doesn't it understand what I'm doing? I'm moving my whole head, so why doesn't the image stay straight in relation?" I guess it's because when you have your eyes closed they have nothing to focus on, so they just move as you tip your head to the side. But try to make the image move that way with your eyes open. You can't! By completely unfocusing the most I can make it do is sort of sway in the opposite direction of the way I'm tipping my head. It never does the same thing as the negative image!
Okay, I'll stop now. But come on. It's weird! Isn't it?
Okay. You know how if you stare at something that stands out against a more brightly lit surrounding area, you can close your eyes and see a negative image that sticks around for a second or two and then starts to fade? Yes? Good. Now. As the "control" in this little experiment, look at something. Say, a painting on your wall. Keep staring at it, and tip your head to the side. Then to the other side. Does the painting seem to tip at the same time? No, it stays straight up and down, because your eyes stay focused on it.
Now, stare at the painting normally again, and then close your eyes and verify that you can see a negative image. The sharper the negative image, the better this will work. Now, with your eyes closed, tip your head to the side. THE IMAGE TIPS TOO! It tips the same amount as your head has moved. If you move your head back upright, the negative image rights itself again. Isn't that weird? Doesn't it seem odd to you? Or am I just crazy. I mean, I can think about what's happening, and the light receptor cells in the eye and everything, and it almost makes sense to me, to the point where I wonder if I'm nuts for thinking it's weird at all. I mean, if I turned my head to look the other way, I wouldn't expect my negative image to move out of my visual field. But then all of a sudden I'm like, "No! It's totally weird! Why doesn't it understand what I'm doing? I'm moving my whole head, so why doesn't the image stay straight in relation?" I guess it's because when you have your eyes closed they have nothing to focus on, so they just move as you tip your head to the side. But try to make the image move that way with your eyes open. You can't! By completely unfocusing the most I can make it do is sort of sway in the opposite direction of the way I'm tipping my head. It never does the same thing as the negative image!
Okay, I'll stop now. But come on. It's weird! Isn't it?
posted by BeeKay at 5:19 PM
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