Motion induced blindness: the yellow dots never disappear

Focus on the green dot.

After a few seconds, one or more of the yellow dots will vanish and reappear, even though they never actually move or disappear.

What you’re experiencing is “Motion Induced Blindness”.

Researchers believe this illusion happens because of attention: your brain gives priority to the strong, constantly moving background and temporarily “drops” the weaker, still objects.

It’s a kind of winner-takes-all process in the visual system, where motion dominates and the stationary dots fade from awareness.

x.com ↗

FROM THE THREAD

Tom's notes 13

  1. Tom Kirkmanreplying to Elie Azagoury

    it still does for me, when I take off my glasses.
    The comments in the X link are interesting.

    Motion Induced Blindness is an amazing example of how our brains prioritize information.

    A similar phenomenon is the Troxler's Fading illusion.

    If you stare at a single point in an image for too long, objects in your peripheral vision that are constant and unchanging will begin to fade or disappear entirely as your brain stops processing them."

  2. Tom Kirkmanreplying to Nicholas Lorimer

    they do for me, randomly disappearing and reappearing.

  3. Tom Kirkmanreplying to Nicholas Lorimer

    I don't have an answer.
    Not sure why you are immune ...

  4. Tom Kirkmanreplying to Nicholas Lorimer

    I don't have an answer.
    Not sure why you are immune ...

  5. Tom Kirkmanreplying to Nicholas Lorimer

    I'm openly (mildly) dyslexic, and I've long known that my brain is hard wired a bit differently from most people.
    And I view dyslexia as an *asset* and not a liability.

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