Memories of Professors Kaoru Noguchi and Walter Ehrenstein

The 42nd Chikaku Colloquium 2009 (The annual meeting of perception study in Japan)
Hosted by the Kyushu University
Kyukamura-Shikanoshima, Shikanoshima, Fukuoka, Japan
March 22, 2009

Memories of the two excellent Gestalt psychologists Professors Kaoru Noguchi and Walter Ehrenstein
by Akiyoshi Kitaoka

since March 16, 2009 handout

1. Photos

Demo off line

2. The book and the paper

Kaoru Noguchi (Ed.) (2007) Psychology of Beauty and Kansei: New Horizons of Gestalt Perception

Kitaoka, A. (2007) Gestalt and aesthetics of visual illusion. In K. Noguchi (Ed.), Psychology of Beauty and Kansei: New Horizons of Gestalt Perception, Tokyo: Nihon University College of Humanities and Sciences, pp. 681-688 (with color-printed pages pp. 7-11). PDF

Paper

Noguchi, K., Kitaoka, A., and Takashima, M. (2008) Gestalt-oriented perceptual research in Japan: Past and present. Gestalt Theory, 30, 11-28. Figures PDF (Walter was the action editor!)

Figure 7. Watercolor illusion and apparent transparency. (a) The watercolor illusion. The corridor area appears to be tinted orange, to be veiled, and to be figure. (b) Achromatic watercolor illusion. The corridor area q appears to be veiled, to be darker than the surround b though they are the same in luminance, and to be figure. The alphabets a, b, p and q correspond to those shown in (c) or (d). (c) A possibly novel image of apparent transparency. It appears that a black square bearing a square window in the center is placed on the white background, and that a translucent disk appears to be in front of the black square and to cover the window entirely. The disk always appears to be transparent in front, i.e. unique transparency (Adelson and Anandan, 1990; Anderson, 1997). (d) Metelli's figure demonstrating unique transparency. The disk always appears to be transparent in front.

3. Transparency and brightness illusions

<Transparency> one of the most attractive phenomena in Gestalt psychology

The first one of my opinions is
X-junctions determines the types of transparency.

Adelson-Anandan-Anderson's X-junction model of perceptual transparency

Adelson, E. H., & Anandan, P. (1990). Ordinal characteristics of transparency. Paper presented at the AAAI-90 Workshop on Qualitative Vision, July 29, 1990, Boston, MA.

Anderson, B. L. (1997). A theory of illusory lightness and transparency in monocular and binocular images: the role of contour junctions. Perception, 26, 419-453.

(a) Unique transparency that follows Metelli's (1974) formula, in which gray bars are seen transparent and perceived as if they were located in front of the horizontal black occluder. Since the apparent depth order is unique, this type is called unique transparency. (b) The figure invalid for transparency. (c) Bistable transparency, in which the vertical grating can be seen either in front of or behind the occluder. Arrows indicate contrast polarity ("lighter than").
<Kitaoka, A., Gyoba, J., Kawabata, H., and Sakurai, K. (2001). Perceptual continuation and depth in visual phantoms can be explained by perceptual transparency. Perception, 30, 959-968.>

Kitaoka, A. (2005) A new explanation of perceptual transparency connecting the X-junction contrast-polarity model with the luminance-based arithmetic model.. Japanese Psychological Research, 47, 175-187. PDF

ECVP 2005 (Spain)

Chikaku Coloquium 2004 (Japan)

The second one of my opinions is:
Low-contrast parts tend to appear to be transparent in front.

(contrast contrast)

The third one of my opinions is
Darker parts tend to appear to be transparent in front.

The fourth one of my opinions is
Low-spatial-frequency parts tend to appear to be transparent in front.

Takashima (2008) proposed the sumi painting effect in the Japanese Journal of Psychology. <November 26, 2008>

Takashima, M. (2008) Achromatic watercolor effect: About requirement of formation of sumi painting effect. Japanese Journal of Psychology, 79, 379-384 (in Japanese with English abstract).

(A) Watercolor illusion (Pinna, Brelstaff and Spillmann, 2001). Although the whole area except waving borders is homogeneously white, the corridor part appears to be tinted green in the upper panel while the outer and inner parts appear to be tinted so in the lower panel. (B) Achromatic watercolor illusion. Although the whole area except waving borders is homogeneously white, the corridor part appears to be tinted gray in the upper panel while the outer and inner parts appear to be tinted so in the lower panel (Noguchi, Kitaoka and Takashima, 2008). (C) Sumi painting effect. Although the whole area except waving borders is homogeneously gray, the corridor part appears to be tinted lighter in the upper panel while the outer and inner parts appear to be tinted so in the lower pane (Takashima, 2008). These figures are drawn by Akiyoshi Kitaoka.

References

Takashima, M. (2008) Achromatic watercolor effect: About requirement of formation of sumi painting effect. Japanese Journal of Psychology, 79, 379-384.

Noguchi, K., Kitaoka, A., and Takashima, M. (2008) Gestalt-oriented perceptual research in Japan: Past and present. Gestalt Theory, 30, 11-28. Figures PDF request to me

Pinna, B., Brelstaff, G., and Spillmann, L. (2001) Surface color from boundaries: A new 'watercolor' illusion. Vision Research, 41, 2669-2676.

Professor Kaoru NOGUCHI, a Gestalt psychologist and a researcher of experimental aesthetics in Japan, passed away on 25th July, 2006, at the age of seventy-one. <July 31, 2006>

His contribution to the study of visual illusion

1. Geometrical illusion, especially further development of the work of Professor Shiro MORINAGA, his teacher

He classified Morinaga's 'paradoxical' illusions into three categories, one of which is known as the Morinaga misalignment illusion.

Noguchi, K. (1982) The theory of visual illusion: Morinaga'a paradox in positional shifts. Psychology (Tokyo: Science-sha), 29 (Special issue of visual illusion), 40-47 (in Japanese).

2. Proposal of the rule that illusion magnitude positively correlates with the degree of aesthetic feeling

Noguchi, K. and Rentschler, I. (1999) Comparison between geometrical illusion and aesthetic preference. Journal of Faculty of Engineering, Chiba University, 50, 29-33.

I love this paper.

3. His last illusion was a lightness illusion!

A new illusion was proposed in a meeting in Japan! <April 10, 2006>

produced by Midori Takashima 2006 (April 10)

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2006 (April 10)

The Noguchi-Takashima effect (the sumi painting effect)
A new illusion!

The regions surrounded by light borders appear to be lighter than they are while those surrounded by dark borders appear to be darker than they are.

Noguchi, K. and Takashima, M. (2006) "Watercolor effect" and Gestalt factors. Paper published in the 39th Chikaku (Perception) Colloquium (March 23-25, 2006), Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken, Japan.

Akiyoshi's comments: It resembles but is different from the Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect and the watercolor effect. Although Noguchi and Takashima did not claim this effect a new one, I felt that this is quite new, so I persuaded them to give permission to show it in my webpage as a new effect. It should also be noted that the enhancement of brightness induction or filling-in given by the wavy configuration is the invention of Professor Baingio Pinna. Dr. Midori Takashima is a young perceptionist, who was a student of Professor Kaoru Noguchi.

4. He brought up many excellent perceptionists.

Brief Personal History of Professor Kaoru Noguchi

Special field of study:
Perception (Gestalt psychology), Traffic psychology, Psychology of art

Education:
Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Mar 1957

Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
Master of Arts in Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities, Sep. 1960

Work Experience:
Sep. 1961 - Assistant at College of Arts and Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Jan. 1966 - Instructor at College of Arts and Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Oct. 1966 - May. 1968 　Research associate at York University Graduate School, York, Canada
Apr. 1968 - 　Assistant professor at College of Arts and Sciences Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Dec. 1979 - 　Professor at College of Arts and Sciences, ChibaUniversity, Chiba, Japan
Jun. 1980 - Aug. 1980 Visiting Scientist at Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich, Bundesrepublik of Deutchland
Sep. 1980 - Nov. 1980 　Visiting professor at University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

Apr. 1994 　Transfer to Faculty of Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Sep 1999 　 Retired from Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Oct 1999 - 　Professor, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan,
Nov. 1999 　Honorary professor of Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Feb. 2005 　Retired from Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan

<Email reply to Walter from Akiyoshi> (February 15, 2007)

>Dr. Midori Takashima is known to me by the figure that you included
>in your remarkable internet collection.
>Here, however, I was really astonished to see this figure as a minute modification
>of Pinna's to be even named as if it was a new effect.
>This is not what science is about, or did I miss a point here??
>Mastership is only original if it is truely knowing and acknowledging what others
>have done before.

I am sorry that this misunderstanding is entirely due to my insufficient

explanation. I have just added two sentences (in Italic) in the caption

for correction.

http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/illnews4e.html#NT

Last year, Noguchi-sensei and Dr. Takashima talked in the Chikaku Colloquium 2006

with the title "Waltercolor effect and Gestalt factors". Their claim was that the watercolor

effect can be explained with Gestalf factors against Baingio's negative claim to the

Gestalt explanation. But I, either, was not persuaded by their explanation. Instead, I proposed

a new Gestalt-psychological explanation using perceptual transparency (shown below), which

Noguchi-sensei finally appeared to agree with.

Then, I found the new demonstration (the sumi-painting effect) drawn by Dr. Takashima.

Actually, Noguchi-sensei and she regarded it as a variant of the waltercolor effect,

just as you pointed out. But I disagreed with their opinion. The reasons are as follows.

(1) The waltercolor illusion includes a Gestalt-like grouping factor, while their image

did not.

(2) Their image gave me quite different qualia from the waltercolor illusion image.

In qualia, the former resembles the Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect while the

latter resembles the neon color spreading. Therefore I imagined different Gestalts

lie between the two phenomena.

(3) In my model, the grouping in the waltercolor illusion is given by perceptual

transparency. But the image of Noguchi-sensei and Dr. Takashima gives

no grouping effect or transparency impression.

Here I would like to clarify my model. Please see the image below, which

shows a simplified configuration of the waltercolor illusion (A). In (A), the

gray ring appears to be a transparent disk covering the innermost white

circle. There are two possibilities about the induced brightness of the innermost

white and the surrounding white, i.e. in-phase (B) and counterphase (C).

Although the in-phase explanation (B) is preferred for the watercolor

illusion as well as for the neon color spreading, I believe the counterphase

explanation (C) fits the observation.

In the upper figure, the waltercolor illusion corresponds to panel D. Its exaggerated appearance is shown in panel E.

My point is that there is a incongruity betweeen brightness induction and color induction. The former gives

counterphase induction while the latter does in-phase induction.

I am afraid this explanation might possibly be too brief to convince you, but I prefer this explanation

because this "Gestalt-psychological" model can explain the neon color spreading as well.

On the other hand, the wavy appearance of the Noguchi-Takashima demonstration is quite similar

to that of Baingio's waltercolor illusion. Of course, I accept that there should be a common mechanism

underling the two phenomena. But the mechanism is a "part", not the "whole" or Gestalt.

Because I am a Gestalt psychologist, I then think the Noguchi-Takashima demonstration is a new

effect or the effect with no Gestalt grouping factor though it resembles the watercolor illusion.

For me, something new in a phenomenon is chiefly on a Gestalt-psychological level, not on the

mechanism level.

In addition, the wavy configuration is interesting or probably is one of the critical factors of

brightness induction or filling-in. I undertand that the wavy configuration is the great invention

of Baingio, which should always be credited. So I have added the credit.

http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/illnews4e.html#NT

"Wave-line color illusion"
(Sohmiya, S. (2007) A wave-line colour illusion. Perception, 36, 1396-1398)

The white background behind the orange waves appears to be tinted orange.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (February 19)

"Wave-line color illusion"

The gray background behind the blue waves appears to be bluish.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 16)

"Wave-line brightness illusion"
（Sohmiya, 2006, personal communication）

The white background behind the gray waves appears to be darker than the rest. This effect was discovered by Seiyu Sohmiya in 2006 (personal communication).

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (February 19)

"Wave-line brightness illusion or brightness assimilation"

The gray background behind the dark gray waves appears to be darker than the rest.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 16)

"Wave-line color illusion or color assimilation"

The gray background behind the blue waves appears to be bluish.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 16)

"Watercolor illusion"
(Pinna, B., Brelstaff, G., and Spillmann, L. (2001) Surface color from boundaries: A new 'watercolor' illusion. Vision Research, 41, 2669-2676.)

The corridor part appears to be tinted orange.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 16)

"Watercolor illusion"

The corridor part appears to be tinted blue.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Watercolor brightness illusion"

The corridor part appears to be dimmer than the rest.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Sumi painting effect"
(Takashima, M. (2008) Achromatic watercolor effect: About requirement of formation of sumi painting effect. Japanese Journal of Psychology, 79, 379-384 (in Japanese with English abstract).)

The corridor part appears to be lighter than the rest.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 16)

"Chromatic sumi painting effect"

The corridor part appears to be tinted orange.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 16)

"Neon color spreading, Type Diamond"
(Van Tuijl, H. F. J. M. (1975) A new visual illusion: Neonlike color spreading and complementary color induction between subjective contours. Acta Psychologica, 39, 441-445.)

The diamond part appears to be tinted orange.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Neon color spreading, Type Diamond"

The diamond part appears to be tinted bluish.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Neon brightness spreading, Type Diamond"

The diamond part appears to be dimmer than the rest.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Brightness assimilation? Type Diamond"

The diamond part might possibly appear to be darker than the rest.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Color assimilation? Type Diamond"

The diamond part might possibly appear to be tinted blue.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Neon color spreading, Type Separated"
(Van Tuijl, H. F. J. M. and Leeuwenberg, E. L. J. (1979) Neon color spreading and structural information measures. Perception and Psychophysics, 25, 269-284.)

The diamond part appears to be tinted orange.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Neon color spreading, Type Separated"

The diamond part appears to be tinted bluish.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Neon brightness spreading, Type Separated"

The diamond part appears to be dimmer than the surround.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Brightness contrast? Type Separated"

The diamond part appears to be darker than the rest.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

The diamond part appears to be tinted orange.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Neon color spreading, Type Cross"
(Van Tuijl, H. F. J. M. (1975) A new visual illusion: Neonlike color spreading and complementary color induction between subjective contours. Acta Psychologica, 39, 441-445.)

Translucent orange-color patches appear to be in front of the crosses.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Neon color spreading, Type Cross"

Translucent bluish-color patches appear to be in front of the crosses.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

Here I conjecture that neon brightness spreading is not brightness assimilation.

"Neon brightness spreading, Type Cross"

Translucent achromatic patches appear to be in front of the crosses.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

cf.

"Ehrenstein illusion"
(Ehrenstein, W. (1941) Ueber Abwandlungen der L. Hermannschen Helligkeitserscheinung. Zeitschrift. für Psychologie, 150, 83-91.)

Gaps appear to be brighter than the rest.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

cf.

"Visiome tilt illusion"

Each rectangular pink background appears to be distorted in which the outer side appears to be longer than the inner one (Ehrenstein illusion).

Ehrenstein illusion (Ehrenstein, 1925)

Visiome Platform is a digital research resource archive for vision science. The available resources include mathematical models, experimental stimuli, experimental data, and analytical tools. Visiome

Click this image, and a high-resolution bitmap (4800 x 8653 pixel) of this advertising image will be available.

"Brightness and color assimilation in the cross image"

I do not see the expected effects.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

"Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect"

Area "A" appears to be lighter than area "B", though they are the same luminance.

produced by Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)

Maybe the first!

"Paradoxical Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect"

Area "A" appears to be darker than area "B", though they are the same luminance.

"Chromatic paradoxical Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect"

Areas flanked by orange borders appear to be tinted orange.

Possibly the first, too.

"Chromatic Craik-O'Brien-Cornsweet effect"

Areas flanked by orange borders appear to be tinted orange.

4. Conclusion.

I am deeply indebted to Professors Kaoru Noguchi and Walter Ehrenstein in heaven.

Thank you!

Akiyoshi's illusion pages

"Impossible Kin-in"
Copyright Akiyoshi Kitaoka 2009 (March 17)
Kin-in = the gold seal discovered in Shikanoshima, Fukuoka, the Kyushu island
Fukuoka City Museum

The 42nd Chikaku Colloquium 2009 (The annual meeting of perception study in Japan)
Hosted by the Kyushu University
Kyukamura-Shikanoshima, Shikanoshima, Fukuoka, Japan
March 22, 2009