On the origin of the Ebbinghaus illusion: The role of figural extent and spatial frequency of stimuli

Abstract

An object is perceived as larger when it is surrounded by smaller context objects than when it is surrounded by larger context objects. The origin of this well-known phenomenon, called as Ebbinghaus or Titchener circles illusion, is still puzzling. Here we introduce a basic explanation of how this illusion could emerge and provide some preliminary empirical support for this idea. In essence, we suggest that changes in the figural extent and in the spatial frequency of the stimulus pattern entail adjustments of the size and resolution of the attentional field, which are accompanied by changes in spatial coding. This approach is consistent with previous observations and can enable a deeper understanding of geometric illusions.