April 14, 2023
The research by Masaki Mori, Senior Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, titled "Anisotropy in the Scintillating Grid Illusion," has won the 2022 Excellent Presentation Award from the Japanese Psychonomic Society.
The Japanese Psychonomic Society is a forum for discussion on fundamental psychological mechanisms such as sensation, perception, cognition, and behavior, as well as the history, principles, and methodology of psychology. This research was presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Psychonomic Society, held from December 2 to 4, 2022, and received the Excellent Presentation Award as an outstanding presentation by a young researcher at the conference.
The award ceremony is scheduled to be held during the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Psychonomic Society in December 2023.
Comment from Masaki Mori, Senior Assistant Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
I am greatly honored to receive the Excellent Presentation Award. This research is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration with applied mathematicians Takamichi Sushida (Associate Professor, Department of Information and Computer Science, Salesian Polytechnic) and Shintaro Kondo (Associate Professor, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University).
The scintillating grid illusion is a phenomenon where black scintillations are perceived within the white circles of a pattern like the one shown in the figure. Previous research has shown that the illusion does not occur in the central visual field but does in the peripheral visual field. However, it was unclear in which specific areas of the peripheral vision the illusion occurs. In this study, we experimentally found that the peripheral visual field area where the illusion is more likely to occur extends further out horizontally than it does vertically. The scintillating grid illusion, despite being a simple geometric pattern, is a profound figure whose cognitive mechanisms are not yet fully understood. I will continue to devote myself to understanding the wonders of this illusion and widely communicating its fascinating aspects.
Source: General Affairs Section, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office