The Orbison illusion is an optical illusion that was first described by the psychologist William Orbison (1909 – 1981) in 1939. It consists of a figure placed over a background of concentric circles or radial lines. The bounding rectangle and inner square both appear distorted in the presence of the circles or radiating lines. The background gives us the impression there is some sort of perspective. As a result, a distorted shape is seen. This is a variant of the Hering and Wundt illusions.
Famous quotes containing the word illusion:
“The work of adult life is not easy. As in childhood, each step presents not only new tasks of development but requires a letting go of the techniques that worked before. With each passage some magic must be given up, some cherished illusion of safety and comfortably familiar sense of self must be cast off, to allow for the greater expansion of our distinctiveness.”
—Gail Sheehy (20th century)