Black Dots Illusion

This page contains information about the black dots illusion, sometimes called the dark patches grid. The topic is related to the optical illusions. To see how the brain could be tricked look below and read the instructions. You will be amazed to know the psychology of the mind and how it reacts to stimulations. For more tricks check our Brain Tricks main page.

Tips for the black dots illusion: Look closely at this matrix of black squares. What do you see? While scanning over the matrix do you see something peculiar in the intersections of the white crosses formed by the black squares? If you see dark blobs, don't be surprised, that is what most people see.

Notes: This figure is called the Hermann grid after L. Herman (1870). The dark blobs can be explained by reference to receptive fields and lateral inhibition.
Just in case you think you are being fooled, try taking two pieces of paper and cover all but two vertical or horizontal rows of black squares. Do you still see the dark blobs when viewing only part of the Hermann grid?

Trick of the Day: The moon when close to the horizon looks bigger than when it's in heart of the sky. That's because when it's close to the horizon, your eyes sees it in comparison to other parts of the horizon, such as trees, mountains and houses, and that's what makes it look bigger. For more tricks and illusions of the day check Tricks of the Day.

This Black Dots Illusion is just one of the many resources of the optical illusions showing how the brain can be fooled. Don't you wonder what other aspects in life we take for granted could be very different from how we perceive them? Choose a related page, or simply click on previous/ next.