The viewing-from-above bias and the silhouette illusion

doi:10.1068/i0408

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The viewing-from-above bias and the silhouette illusion

Nikolaus F Troje

Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada

Matthew McAdam

Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada

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Abstract. The silhouette illusion published online a number of years ago by the Japanese Flash designer Nobuyuki Kayahara has received substantial attention from the online community. One feature that seems to make it interesting is an apparent rotational bias: Observers see it spinning more often clockwise than counter-clockwise. Here, we show that this rotational bias is in fact due to the visual system’s preference for viewpoints from above rather than from below.

Cite as: Troje N F, McAdam M, 2010, "The viewing-from-above bias and the silhouette illusion" i-Perception 1(3) 143–148
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DOI: 10.1068/i0408

ISSN: 2041-6695 (electronic only)

Copyright: Copyright is retained by the author(s) of this article. This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Licence, which permits noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction, provided the original author(s) and source are credited and no alterations are made.