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Psychological Phenomena

Hermann Grid Illusion

Perception and Psychophysics Effects

The Hermann grid illusion is a visual illusion in which faint grey blobs appear to flicker at the intersections of a grid of white lines drawn on a black background (or dark blobs on a grid of black lines on a white background). The grey blobs disappear when the viewer looks directly at an intersection, so they are visible only in peripheral vision. First reported by the physiologist Ludimar Hermann in 1870, the effect is generally attributed to how the visual system processes contrast at the intersections versus along the plain lines, though the exact underlying mechanism is still debated among vision scientists. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Type of Phenomenon
Perceptual Phenomenon 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Hermann Grid Illusion
  • Lead section (article: Grid illusion)
    The two most common types of grid illusions are the Hermann grid illusion and the scintillating grid illusion.
  • lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
    The Hermann grid illusion is a visual illusion in which faint grey blobs appear to flicker at the intersections of a grid of white lines drawn on a black background (or dark blobs on a grid of black lines on a white background). The grey blobs disappear when the viewer looks directly at an intersection, so they are visible only in peripheral vision.
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