W3 Discussion Question 1: Illusions: How Do They Work?

Purpose: All of our senses are susceptible to illusions, in which our brain is "tricked" into perceiving things in ways that do not match reality. You will consider a visual or auditory illusion. Describe what senses and perceptions are involved. .

Post: Find an interesting visual or auditory illusion. Provide a link to the image/video/sound clip, and briefly describe the illusion. The media example may be from a movie, television show, music video, painting, YouTube, website, and so forth. All clips should be in good taste and appropriate for the classroom. If you have questions about suitability, please email the instructor for approval before the due date.

Using your knowledge of how the nervous system underlies sensation and perception, hypothesize what is happening in the nervous system to produce this illusion. Why is your perception so different from "reality" in this illusion? What does it tell us about the nervous system?