Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

Gestalt Principles of Perception

Gestalt Principles of Perception

Gestalt principles provide a framework for understanding how humans perceive objects as unified wholes within their context. These principles are essential in explaining the cognitive processes that make sense of complex visual stimuli by organizing them into coherent groups. One fundamental principle is proximity, which posits that objects located close to each other are perceived as a collective group. For instance, when dots are positioned near one another, the visual system interprets them...

Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual constancy is the ability to recognize that objects remain consistent and unchanged even when their appearance varies due to changes in sensory input. There are four main types of perceptual constancy: size constancy, shape constancy, color constancy, and brightness constancy.
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...

Modeling and Similitude

Modeling and Similitude

Scaled modeling is a fundamental technique in engineering, enabling the study of large and complex systems by creating smaller, manageable replicas that recreate critical characteristics of the original. In hydrology and civil infrastructure, for example, scaled models of dams help analyze water flow, turbulence, and pressure. This method allows for accurate predictions of real-world behavior within a controlled environment, significantly reducing the cost and time involved in full-scale...

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Charles Darwin proposed that facial expressions are an evolutionary adaptation for communication. He argued that these expressions are not influenced by culture but are universal across species. For example, a snarling expression with exposed teeth signals a threat in many animals, including humans. Darwin also suggested that displaying an emotion can intensify the feeling. Smiling, for example, could enhance one's sense of happiness. This idea laid the foundation for understanding the role of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The length of a piece of string: Where the whole is more than the sum of its constituent parts.

Psychological research·2026

Same author

Optimizing the strength of the Bourdon effect by varying the triangle arrangement.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2021

Same author

The effect of long-term working memory through personalization applied to free recall: uncurbing the primacy-effect enthusiasm.

Memory & cognition·2013

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

High-resolution, High-speed, Three-dimensional Video Imaging with Digital Fringe Projection Techniques

High-resolution, High-speed, Three-dimensional Video Imaging with Digital Fringe Projection Techniques

Published on: December 3, 2013

The face-cube illusion by Jean Beuchet.

Frédéric Devinck¹, Christophe Quaireau¹

¹Department of Psychology, Université Rennes, Rennes, France.

|October 18, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The face-cube illusion, created in 1966, is a visual phenomenon where a wire construction can appear as a cube or a face. This illusion

Keywords:

3D perception Illusion history of vision science perception

More Related Videos

Investigating the 'Uncatchable Smile' in Leonardo da Vinci's La Bella Principessa: A Comparison with the Mona Lisa and Pollaiuolo's Portrait of a Girl

Investigating the 'Uncatchable Smile' in Leonardo da Vinci's La Bella Principessa: A Comparison with the Mona Lisa and Pollaiuolo's Portrait of a Girl

Published on: October 4, 2016

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

High-resolution, High-speed, Three-dimensional Video Imaging with Digital Fringe Projection Techniques

High-resolution, High-speed, Three-dimensional Video Imaging with Digital Fringe Projection Techniques

Published on: December 3, 2013

Investigating the 'Uncatchable Smile' in Leonardo da Vinci's La Bella Principessa: A Comparison with the Mona Lisa and Pollaiuolo's Portrait of a Girl

Investigating the 'Uncatchable Smile' in Leonardo da Vinci's La Bella Principessa: A Comparison with the Mona Lisa and Pollaiuolo's Portrait of a Girl

Published on: October 4, 2016

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

Area of Science:

Visual Perception
Psychophysics
3D Object Recognition

Background:

The face-cube illusion, developed by Jean Beuchet in 1966, remains unpublished.
Visual illusions offer insights into the brain's interpretation of sensory information.

Purpose of the Study:

To document and present the previously unpublished face-cube illusion.
To explore the principles of visual perception and ambiguous figure-ground segregation.

Main Methods:

A connected curved wire construction was utilized.
The three-dimensional structure's orientation was manipulated.

Main Results:

The wire construction is perceived as either a cube or a face.
Perception is dependent on the observer's viewing point.

Conclusions:

The face-cube illusion demonstrates the brain's active role in constructing visual reality.
Ambiguous stimuli can elicit multiple, distinct interpretations based on viewpoint.