21.03.2016

Talk @ NIP by Vebjørn Ekroll on Tuesday, April 12th, 2016, 14:00 hrs

Title: "What is the role of perceptual illusions in magic?"

Abstract:

In this talk, I ask what role perceptual illusions - as opposed to attentional misdirection and cognitive illusions play in stage magic. A major hallmark of perceptual illusions is that they are largely impervious to conscious reasoning (i.e., they are cognitively impenetrable). Thus, one would expect that perceptual illusions are ideal tools for creating strong and robust magical experiences. In current discussions of the factors underlying the art of conjuring, however, the classical perceptual illusions seem to play a relatively minor role. I argue that magicians actually do rely on perceptual illusions to a considerable extent, but that our traditional scientific notions about what should count as a perceptual illusion may prevent us from realizing this. In this regard, the scientific study of magic may aid traditional vision science in gaining an even deeper understanding of the scope and limits of perceptual processes in shaping our experience of the world.

Vebjørn Ekroll is a member of the <link http: www.gestaltrevision.be en about-us contact all-contacts external-link-new-window external link in new>Laboratory of Experimental Psychology at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven)