"The whole is other than the sum of the parts." - Kurt Koffka

In this talk, Dr. Vebjørn Ekroll argues that a recently discovered visual illusion of absence which seems to play a central role in many magic tricks may also play a role in traffic accidents involving obstructions of view, such as the roof support next to the windshield in cars. The illusion of absence consists in a compelling and immediate experience that the space behind an occluding object in the foreground is empty.

Dr. Ekroll first summarizes recent research suggesting (a) that the illusion of absence is a cognitively impenetrable visual illusion and (b) that the illusion is most likely to occur for relatively narrow obstructions of view. He then describes common traffic scenarios where it appears plausible that this illusion may create a strong conviction that the blind zone behind an obstruction of view is empty, although other road users on collision course may actually be trapped in the blind zone.

He concludes by discussing potential implications for the relative merit of different conceivable countermeasures against corresponding traffic accidents and legal questions of driver negligence and culpability.

Presented by Vebjørn Ekroll, Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen.

References:

Ekroll, V., Sayim, B., & Wagemans, J. (2017). The other side of magic: The psychology of perceiving hidden things. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(1) 91–106. https://doi.org/10. 1177/1745691616654676

Øhrn, H., Svalebjørg, M., Andersen, S., Ring, A. E., & Ekroll, V. (2019). A perceptual illusion of empty space can create a perceptual illusion of levitation. i-Perception, 10(6), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 2041669519897681

Svalebjørg, M., Øhrn, H., Ekroll, V. (2020). The illusion of absence in magic tricks. i-Perception, 11(3), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 2041669520928383

Ekroll, V., Svalebjørg, M., Pirrone, A., Böhm, G., Jentschke, S., van Lier, R., Wagemans, J., & Høye, A. (in press). The illusion of absence: How a common feature of magic shows can explain a class of road accidents. Cognitive Research: Principles and Applications. https://doi.org/ 10.1186/s41235-021-00287-0

We thank the NSSR Dean's Office for their support of this series of events. For a list of upcoming speakers and discussions, please see the schedule.

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