The Moon illusion explained by the projective consciousness model.

Area of Science:

• Computational Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Visual Perception

Background:

• Models of consciousness must explain subjective experience, including perceptual illusions.
• The Moon Illusion, where the Moon appears larger near the horizon than overhead despite constant visual angle, remains unexplained.
• Existing theories fail to account for all aspects of the Moon Illusion, such as the size-distance paradox.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel computational model for consciousness based on free energy minimization.
• To demonstrate how the Projective Consciousness Model can explain the Moon Illusion.
• To validate the model's predictions with empirical data and explore its applicability to other visual illusions.

Main Methods:

• Developed the Projective Consciousness Model based on optimizing a 3D projective geometrical frame through free energy minimization.
• Analyzed the Moon Illusion within this theoretical framework.
• Conducted a virtual reality experiment to collect empirical data supporting the model's predictions.

Main Results:

• The Projective Consciousness Model successfully accounts for the Moon Illusion, including its various modulations and the size-distance paradox.
• The model demonstrates superior explanatory power compared to existing theories.
• Empirical data from the virtual reality experiment align with the model's quantitative and qualitative predictions.

Conclusions:

• The Projective Consciousness Model provides a unified framework for understanding the Moon Illusion through principles of predictive coding and geometrical inference.
• The model offers insights into inter- and intra-subjective variability in perceptual illusions.
• The framework has the potential to explain other visual phenomena, including the sky dome illusion, crowding illusions, and the Ames Room illusion.