The aftereffects of visual illusions (ponzo and müller-lyer): Hand-dependent effects in sensorimotor domain

Abstract

We examined the effects of perceptual set on Ponzo and Müller-Lyer illusions, revealing the existence of the illusory aftereffect in a sensorimotor domain. Our findings demonstrate that the effects of exposure to illusory stimuli in a sensorimotor domain are hand dependent and that there is a correlation between the direction of the aftereffect and the variant of illusion as well as a correlation between the speed of the hand movements over the neutral stimuli during test trials and the type of visual illusion shown during the exposure phase. The results support our hypotheses that: (i) the different illusions have their origins at different stages of the processing of visual information and (ii) effects of illusory perceptual set depend on hemispheric-specific mental representations, which might be activated by the movements of the right or the left hand.