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Pupil dilation underlies the peripheral drift illusion.

George Mather^1,2, Patrick Cavanagh^3,4,5,6

¹School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.

Journal of Vision

|February 27, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Illusory motion in stationary patterns is triggered by eye movements and blinks. This motion illusion is caused by pupil diameter changes affecting retinal luminance, not the eye movements themselves.

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Area of Science:

Visual perception
Neuroscience
Ophthalmology

Background:

Stationary patterns with asymmetrical luminance gradients can induce illusory motion.
This motion illusion is episodic, often triggered by saccadic eye movements and blinks.
The underlying mechanisms of this well-known illusion remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the hypothesis that illusory motion is caused by transient changes in retinal luminance.
To investigate the role of pupil diameter changes during eye movements and blinks in generating the illusion.
To provide a new explanation for factors influencing the illusion's strength.

Main Methods:

Participants viewed static illusion-inducing patterns.
Controlled blinks and saccades were performed, followed by button presses to indicate illusion cessation.
Pupil diameter changes were measured until the illusion ceased.

Main Results:

Pupil dilation amplitude and duration correlated significantly with the duration of the illusory motion.
Simulations modulating pattern luminance with blink/saccade timing induced illusory motion.
The findings support the causal role of temporal luminance changes in the illusion.

Conclusions:

Illusory motion is primarily caused by retinal luminance changes due to pupil fluctuations, not directly by eye movements.
This mechanism explains the influence of blinks, age, and artificial pupils on the illusion.
The study clarifies the origin of a long-standing visual illusion.