The illusion of empty blind zones: How things may seem to appear out of nowhere in magic shows and road accidents (BLINDZONES)

In previous investigations (see reference to publication below), we have described a novel recently discovered illusion that evokes a strong feeling that the blind spot behind an obstruction of view is empty. This illusion of empty blind spots plays a pivotal role in stage magic and the art of conjuring. Because the blind zone behind certain obstructions of view looks compellingly empty, the magician may easily create the illusion that something materializes “out of thin air” by bringing it out from the blind spot behind the obstruction of view. One central aim of the BLINDZONES project is to improve our understanding of the visual mechanisms behind this illusion.

A second central aim is to determine to what extent and under what circumstances this illusion may be a contributing factor in road accidents. Even though the roof pillars next to the windscreen in cars look narrow, they can create large blind spots where pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists or even other cars on collision course may lie hidden until it is much too late to brake. A central hypothesis that we will investigate in the project is that the windscreen pillars may evoke a strong illusion of empty blind spots which makes it difficult for car drivers to imagine that a collision with another road user located in the blind spot is even possible. If this hypothesis turns out to be true, it will have important implications for considerations regarding what type of interventions are optimal for reducing the risk of accidents associated with such obstructions of view. The results from the project may also have important implications for the plausibility of eye-witness statements and questions of culpability.

In the project, we employ a host of different research methods, such as measures of the neural correlates of the illusion, VR-simulations of relevant traffic scenarios and summaries of in-depth investigations of previous fatal accidents.

Project objectives

We aim to develop a basic scientific understanding of the perceptual illusion that the blind zone behind an object is empty and to clarify its implications for basic vision theory. In particular, the aim of the project is to determine the heuristic principles employed by the underlying visual mechanisms and to identify potential neural correlates of these mechanisms. Furthermore, the project aims to determine the potential role of the illusion in traffic accidents. Based on this research, we aim to answer the question of what countermeasures are most effective for reducing the risk of accidents associated with blind zones.

Project organisation and management

The BLINDZONES project group is organized as a consortium of researchers from the host university (University of Bergen), international partners from the University of Leuven, Radboud University and the University of Wrocław, as well as national partners from the Institute of Transport Economics. The project is anchored in The Decision, Intuition, Consciousness, and Emotion research group (DICE-lab) at The Department of Psychosocial Science (UiB), which includes several members with significant expertise in perception, decision-making and risk-evaluation.

The project is planned for four years and is composed of six main work packages (WPs). In addition to one PhD candidate (3 years) and one post-doctoral researcher (2 years) funded by the RCN, one PhD candidate (4 years) will be funded by the host institution (UiB). Both PhD candidates will be based at UiB, and the postdoctoral fellow will be employed in Rob van Lier’s lab at Radboud University in Nijmegen.

Background

An introduction to the topic of the research project is available in this publication:
Ekroll, V., Svalebjørg, M., Pirrone, A., Böhm, G., Jentschke, S., van Lier, R., Wagemans, J., & Høye, A. (2021). The illusion of absence: how a common feature of magic shows can explain a class of road accidents. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6, 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-021-00287-0