This fascinating three-and-a-half-minute excerpt from the BBC’s Horizon illustrates the McGurk Effect. What does your brain do when the information it is receiving from different senses doesn’t match? It’s solution is an example of just how much interpretive work our brain is doing all the time.
Mmm, confluence. We just posted about this on Best of Wikipedia. This is really one of my favorite little psychological effects, because unlike a lot of optical illusions, even once I know the trick it still works on me.
Anonymous — December 16, 2010
Really cool, but I would have liked to see a beginning of how knowledge of this illusion can be applied to... something, be it linguistics or social behavior. The prof. featured says he's been studying the effect for years... I assume that his knowledge goes beyond "WHOAAA [bababa] sounds like [fafafa] when we change the image!!!11!!" I was hoping to take advantage of his insight! Oh well, guess I'll just have to read his research if I want to learn!
Grizzly — December 16, 2010
That was an excellent video. Honestly, even after hearing the explanation I was sure the guy was lying and actually saying 'fa fa fa.' It was only after seeing the two faces side by side that I was convinced.
song — December 16, 2010
I.. think my brain is broken. I hear both 'ba' and 'fa' during the second mouth movement, and if I close my eyes during that part I hear 'fa'.
Rachael — December 17, 2010
I heard "va," not "fa." The two are essentially the same except V is voiced and F is silent.
They said that if you close your eyes, the effect fades, but I still heard "va" once after I closed my eyes. That's so cool!
Shoshie — December 17, 2010
I heard both ba and fa when it had the two faces side by side. It seemed like two voices, but I knew it wasn't. WEIRD.
Baxter — December 18, 2010
im sorry...i just couldn't keep a straight face with all the 'baa'ing going on hehe
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Comments 9
Laurie — December 16, 2010
Mmm, confluence. We just posted about this on Best of Wikipedia. This is really one of my favorite little psychological effects, because unlike a lot of optical illusions, even once I know the trick it still works on me.
Anonymous — December 16, 2010
Really cool, but I would have liked to see a beginning of how knowledge of this illusion can be applied to... something, be it linguistics or social behavior. The prof. featured says he's been studying the effect for years... I assume that his knowledge goes beyond "WHOAAA [bababa] sounds like [fafafa] when we change the image!!!11!!" I was hoping to take advantage of his insight! Oh well, guess I'll just have to read his research if I want to learn!
Grizzly — December 16, 2010
That was an excellent video. Honestly, even after hearing the explanation I was sure the guy was lying and actually saying 'fa fa fa.' It was only after seeing the two faces side by side that I was convinced.
song — December 16, 2010
I.. think my brain is broken. I hear both 'ba' and 'fa' during the second mouth movement, and if I close my eyes during that part I hear 'fa'.
Rachael — December 17, 2010
I heard "va," not "fa." The two are essentially the same except V is voiced and F is silent.
They said that if you close your eyes, the effect fades, but I still heard "va" once after I closed my eyes. That's so cool!
Shoshie — December 17, 2010
I heard both ba and fa when it had the two faces side by side. It seemed like two voices, but I knew it wasn't. WEIRD.
Baxter — December 18, 2010
im sorry...i just couldn't keep a straight face with all the 'baa'ing going on hehe