Optical illusions and cognition

Optical illusions are visual tricks that can be categorized into three types:

• literal
• physiological
• ​and cognitive

Literal illusions are images that can be perceived in two different ways, such as My Wife and My Mother-in-Law. Physiological illusions trick the brain through sensory overload, often with colors, shapes, or light, creating effects like movement, as seen in kinetic illusions like the Mackay Rays. Cognitive illusions, which are more complex, involve the brain's interpretation of the image and include paradoxical or impossible figures, exemplified by the work of M.C. Escher. 

Credits for images
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_illusion
Credit for content 
https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/optical-illusions-art-science/

Google AI Results

​Literal optical illusions
​

• What they are: Images that can be interpreted in two distinct ways.
• Artistic use: Can connect two different ideas or objects, like youth and old age in My Wife and My Mother-in-Law.
• Scientific insight: Show how perception is influenced by factors like age, as demonstrated in studies of My Wife and My Mother-in-Law. 

Physiological optical illusions

• What they are: 
  Illusions caused by overstimulating the senses with too much light, shape, or color.
• Artistic use: 
  The Op Art movement of the 1960s used these principles to create abstract art with the illusion of movement.
• Scientific insight: 
  Researchers believe these may be caused by small, involuntary eye movements called microsaccades. 

Cognitive optical illusions
​

• What they are: 
  The most complex type, where the brain's assumptions and knowledge are tricked, rather than just the eyes.
• Artistic use: 
  Artists like M.C. Escher use them to create paradoxical images, such as impossible staircases or hands drawing each other.
• Scientific insight: 
  They provide visual analogies for understanding philosophical paradoxes, such as the Liar Paradox, because the brain can be led to contradictory interpretations of a seemingly logical image. 

Credits for images https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_illusion