Illusions of eye direction

since January 6, 2011


1. Effects of eye shadows

1.1 Effects of dark eye shadows


Suppose this was the original face

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. These images show apparent repulsion effects of eye direction against dark eye shadows.



Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

Homogeneous eye shadows are enough to generate this illusion.





Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

Funny faces are available. Try some on your face!


1.2 Effects of bright eye shadows


Suppose this was the original face

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. These images show apparent capture effects of eye direction toward bright eye shadows.


1.3 Effects of dark and bright eye shadows

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. These images show apparent repulsion effects of eye direction against dark eye shadows and apparent capture effects of eye direction toward bright eye shadows.

This group can also be described as an illusion that apparent eye direction is shifted toward the part of the lower luminance contrast.


2. Effects of eyeliners

2.1 Effects of dark eyeliners

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. The upper two images show apparent capture of eye direction while the lower two do repulsive effects.


2.2 Effects of bright eyeliners

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. The upper two images show apparent repulsion of eye direction while the lower two are ambiguous.


2.3 Effects of dark and bright eyeliners

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image.


3. Effects of eyelash

3.1 Effects of dark eyelash

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2011 (January 6)

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. These images show apparent repulsion effects of eye direction against dark eyelashs. The illusions are the same manner as those in "Effects of dark eye shadows", but the effects are much weaker.

Thanks to Heiko (April 4, 2011)


3.2 Effects of bright eyelashs

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2011 (January 6)

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. These images show apparent capture effects of eye direction toward bright eyelashs. The illusions are the same manner as those in "Effects of bright eye shadows", but the effects are much weaker.


3.3 Effects of dark and bright eyelashs

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2011 (January 6)

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. But the effects are weak.


4. Effects of luminance gradients in the white of eyes (bloodshot illusion)

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. Apparent eye directions are shifted toward the darker side of the white of eyes ("luminance-induced gaze shift" or "bloodshot illusion": Ando, 2002).

Ando, S. (2002). Luminance-induced shift in the apparent direction of gaze. Perception, 31, 657-674.


5. Effects of face direction (Wollastone illusion)

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. Apparent eye directions are shifted toward the face direction (Wollastone, 1824).

Wollaston, W. H. (1824) On the apparent direction of eye in a portrait. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, B114, 247-256. (下記山口先生の解説から孫引き)


6. Wollastone illusion induced by a pair of glasses

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2011 (January 6)

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. Apparent eye directions are shifted toward the position of a pair of glasses.



Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The Giovanelli illusion and something are available.


7. Reverse Wollastone illusion induced by a pair of glasses

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. Apparent eye directions of the "Wollastone illusion with a pair of glasses" are reversed if those who have small areas of the white of eyes wear a pair of glasses.


8. Effects of the position of irises in the frame of eyes

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. Apparent eye directions are shifted toward the position of irises in the frame of eyes (of course!). In these images, irises are fixed in position in the frame of the face and the frame of eyes are changed.


9. Effects of the position of pupils in the frame of irises

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. Apparent eye directions are shifted toward the position of pupils in the frame of irises.


10. Effects of the position of the Purkinje-Sanson images

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image. Apparent eye directions are shifted toward the position of the Purkinje-Sanson images.


10. Effects of shape constancy

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2011 (January 6)

The eye direction appears to be upward in the upper-left image, downward in the upper-right one, leftward in the lower-left one, and rightward in the lower-right image


12. Watanabe illusion

Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2010 (November 23)

In the upper image, the girl appears to look at the star. Actually, she looks at the point below the star, as shown in the lower image. This eye-direction demonstration as well was first produced by Professor Watanabe.


Kitaoka, A. (2010) Illusions of eye direction. Talk and poster in the Meeting of Kaken Face Cognition (Professor Kakigi's) Group, Okinawa, Japan, December 23, 2010. Presentation (html in Japanese)

Kitaoka, A. (2010) Face illusions. Talk in the symposium "Multiphasic approaches to elucidate face perception", Japanese Psychological Association, the 74th Conference, September 20, 2010, 15:30-17:30, Osaka University. Presentation (html)


Handout in the Face Cognition Meeting 2010 (in Japanese)


 Akiyoshi's illusion pages