Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Controlled Rotation of Human Observers in a Virtual Reality Environment
Published on: April 21, 2022
Illusory motion induced by the offset of stationary luminance-defined gradients
P-J Hsieh1, G P Caplovitz, P U Tse
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Moore Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. Po-Jang.Hsieh@dartmouth.edu
Abstract:
An illusory motion induced by the offset of a stationary gradient stimulus is characterized. When a gradient stimulus, whose luminance contrast ranges gradually from white on one side to black on the other, is made to disappear all at once so that only the uniform white background remains visible, illusory motion is perceived. This motion lasts approximately 700 ms, as if the stimulus moves from the low to the high luminance contrast side. This gradient-offset induced motion does not occur for equiluminant color-defined gradient offsets, suggesting that it relies mainly on the magnocellular pathway. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that this illusion is caused by the decay of the gradient afterimage.
Related Concept Videos
Relative Motion Analysis using Rotating Axes
However, to express the relative position of point B relative to point A, an additional frame of reference, denoted as x'y', is necessary. This additional frame not only translates but also rotates relative to the fixed frame, making it instrumental in...
Curvilinear Motion: Rectangular Components
As the car advances, its position evolves over time. Quantifying the car's velocity involves computing the time...
Curvilinear Motion: Normal and Tangential Components
The positive direction of the t-axis aligns with the increasing position of the car along the curved path, denoted by the unit vector ut. Simultaneously, the n-axis, perpendicular to the t-axis, dissects the curved path into differential arc segments, each forming the arc of a circle with a radius of...
Curvilinear Motion: Polar Coordinates
The particle's location is described using a unit vector along the radial direction. Deriving the particle's position with respect to time...
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision
Gradient Fields

