What do Visual Illusions Teach Us about Neurotypical and Pathological Perception?

Year 2023, Volume: 10 Issue: 3, 376 - 395, 30.09.2023

Dicle Dövencioğlu

https://doi.org/10.31682/ayna.1346948

Abstract

Visual illusions are popularly referred to as the phenomena where the eye sees something that is not there The aim of this review is to show that illusions are not the occasional misinterpretations of the physical world. Illusions are critical to our understanding of perceptual processes. The cause of illusions can vary depending on the reflection or refraction of light, how the brain processes the information reaching the retina, or how the visual system works when perceiving depth. Illusions, which have inspired both artists and scientists, have been instrumental in our understanding of human perception and the functioning of the brain in general. At the beginning of this article, the classes that emerge from a scientific perspective will be defined in parallel with the hierarchical visual perception. Examples of illusions that inform us about the physiological (corresponding to the early stages of visual perception) processes and cognitive (corresponding to higher level stages of visual perception) strategies will be given, and the factors that may cause them will be examined. In the light of theoretical approaches and perceptual grouping concepts, I will discuss how these interpretations help us to understand the brain and human nature. Next, I will give examples of findings and applications in clinical populations to touch on the role of illusions in our understanding of visual perception in e.g. schizophrenia patients.

Keywords

visual illusions, visual perception, schizophrenia, schizotypy

Görsel İllüzyonların Nörotipik ve Patolojik Algı Hakkında Öğrettikleri

Abstract

Görsel illüzyonlar, daha yaygın isimleriyle göz yanılsamaları/aldanmaları, popüler anlamlarıyla gözün kanıp gerçekten olmayan bir şeyi görmesi olarak bilinirler. Bu incelemenin amacı, illüzyonların arada bir beynin gerçekleri yanlış yorumladığı durumlar olmadığını göstermektir. Bu illüzyonların sebebi ışığın yansıması veya kırılmasına, beynin retinaya gelen bilgiyi nasıl işlediğine veya görsel sistemin derinlik algılarken nasıl çalıştığına göre değişebilir ve illüzyonlar algısal süreçleri anlamamızda kritiktir. Sanatçıların ve bilim insanlarının ilgi odağı olan illüzyonlar, hem ilham veren sanat akımları yaratmış hem de insan algısını ve beynin işleyişini anlamamızda çığır açıcı olmuştur. Bu yazının başlangıcında, illüzyonlara bilimsel açıdan bakıldığında görsel algı hiyerarşisine paralel olarak çıkan sınıflar tanımlanacaktır. Sırasıyla fizyolojik (görsel algının erken aşamalarına denk gelen) işleyiş ve bilişsel (görsel algının daha ileri aşamalarına denk gelen) stratejiler hakkında bilgi veren illüzyonlara örnekler verilecek ve bunlara neden olabilecek etkenler incelenecektir. Bu anlamlandırmaların bize beyni hatta insanın doğasını anlamaya çalışırken nasıl yardımcı olduğuna dair teorik yaklaşımlara ve algısal gruplama kavramlarına değinilecektir. Daha sonra klinik çalışmalardaki bulgu ve uygulamalara örnekler verilerek illüzyonların, örneğin şizofrenide, görsel algıyı ve beyni anlamamızdaki rolü tartışılacaktır.

Keywords

görsel algı, görsel illüzyonlar, şizofreni, şizotipi

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