Weekend Diversion: An Optical Illusion For Your Ears (Synopsis)

“It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it.” -Anais Nin

You know the expression that you should believe half of what you see and none of what you hear, don't you? After all, illusions are prevalent everywhere we look (or listen), and perhaps Thievery Corporation got it right in their song,

The Supreme Illusion.

But what do you do when what you see and what you hear confound one another?

Image credit: Esther Wiersinga-Post (edits by me), via http://www.ai.rug.nl/nl/project/integratie.html. Image credit: Esther Wiersinga-Post (edits by me), via http://www.ai.rug.nl/nl/project/integratie.html.

Believe it or not, a visual stimulus can actually change what you hear, a phenomenon known as the McGurk effect!

Go read the whole story, and experience it for yourself here.

More like this

I had never heard of the McGurk effect before today. This is quite interesting, I read up some more on it and found out that the effect is still present, in individuals with impaired hearing, but this is at different levels of course. I have gained new insight and understanding the link between the two senses and how 'seeing isn't really believing'. Thanks for the post

By K Maluleke 14046564 (not verified) on 01 May 2014 #permalink