Psychology of visual perception Spinning Dancer

this positron emission tomography scan of woman has similar effect when viewed spinning

these results can explained psychological study providing evidence viewing-from-above bias influences observers perceptions of silhouette. kayahara s dancer presented camera elevation above horizontal plane. consequently, dancer may seen above or below in addition spinning clockwise or counterclockwise, , facing toward or away observer. upon inspection, 1 may notice in kayahara s original illusion, seeing dancer spin clockwise paired holding elevated viewpoint , seeing dancer above. opposite true; observer maintaining anti-clockwise percept has assumed viewpoint below dancer. if observers report perceiving kayahara s original silhouette spinning clockwise more counterclockwise, there 2 chief possibilities. may have bias see spinning clockwise, or may have bias assume viewpoint above. tease these 2 apart, researchers created own versions of kayahara s silhouette illusion recreating dancer , varying camera elevations. allowed clockwise/from-above (like kayahara s original) , clockwise/from-below pairings. results indicated there no clockwise bias, rather viewing-from-above bias. furthermore, bias dependent upon camera elevation. in other words, greater camera elevation, more observer saw dancer above.the way illusion perceived entirely down leg see dancer standing on. if stands on right leg, spins anticlockwise. if stands on left leg, spins clockwise. more important factor in interpreting motion viewpoint.

in popular psychology, illusion has been incorrectly identified personality test supposedly reveals hemisphere of brain dominant in observer. under wrong interpretation, has been popularly called right brain–left brain test, , circulated on internet during late 2008 2009.

a 2014 paper describes brain activation related switching of perception. utilizing fmri in volunteer capable switch @ direction of rotation, found part of right parietal lobe responsible switching. more interestingly, authors relate brain activation described spontaneous brain fluctuations.