Illusory rotation of a spoked wheel

doi:10.1068/i0483

SHORT AND SWEET

Illusory rotation of a spoked wheel

Stuart Anstis

Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0109, USA

sanstis@ucsd.edu

Brian Rogers

Department of Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK

bjr@psy.ox.ac.uk

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Abstract. A disk was divided into 16 stationary sectors of different grey levels that stepped around clockwise. When thin stationary spokes of constant mid-grey separated the sectors, the spokes showed robust and striking counterclockwise apparent motion, and when stopped, they gave a brisk clockwise motion aftereffect. The spokes had to match the grey of some of the sectors. We attribute these effects to small displacements across the thickness of the spokes that stimulated hard-wired motion detectors.

Cite as: Anstis S, Rogers B, 2011, "Illusory rotation of a spoked wheel" i-Perception 2(7) 720–723
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DOI: 10.1068/i0483

ISSN: 2041-6695 (electronic only)

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