Quantification of a Novel Illusion: Flicker-Induced Induced Motion

Abstract

Visual illusions are often studied and analyzed to better understand the neural basis of perception. This project aims to quantify flicker-induced induced motion (FLIIM), a newly discovered form of induced motion that causes a stationary object to appear to move when displayed with other moving objects only when all of the objects are flickering. The results revealed that the flicker rate at which FLIIM is the strongest is 2 Hz and that FLIIM gets weaker as the flicker rate increases. The results also revealed that FLIIM is strongest in parafoveal vision and gets weaker in foveal vision. Finally, using isoluminant stimuli, it was determined that FLIIM occurs in second-order motion perception. These findings help refine future models of motion perception and other models that utilize flickering stimuli.