The 'bookshelf illusion'--a real-world Zöllner-type illusion?
We discovered an interesting perceptual distortion in our office where an upright lamp in front of a bookshelf was noticeably curved to form several subtle S-shaped bends. We realized that the books in the bookshelf fell in a particular manner, leaning in alternative directions, which caused the straight lamp to appear bent, creating what may be a real-world example of the Zöllner illusion. Evidence for the production of the illusion diagrammatically and an explanation for the effect are provided.
MacLin
Otto H
OH
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614, USA.
Peterson
Dwight J
DJ
D006801:Humans; D009903:Optical Illusions; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation