Abstract
Whorl watching Staring at a rotating spiral pattern produces a hypnotic effect; the pattern seems to either expand or contract, depending on the direction of rotation. Now a team of researchers has found that being exposed to this visual illusion can allow people to read finer print (Psychol. Sci. 2017, DOI: 10.1177/0956797617705391). Martin Lages and Stephanie C. Boyle of the University of Glasgow and Rob Jenkins of the University of York asked volunteers with normal vision to watch a spinning spiral and then tested their ability to read letters on a standard optometrist’s chart. The researchers found that watching a spiral that appeared to contract improved volunteers’ abilities to recognize letters. Watching a spiral that appeared to expand worsened their performance. These volunteers experienced what’s known as the spiral motion aftereffect. After a person adapts to the spiral’s motion, a subsequent static image seems to either shrink or grow in
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