The Illusion Only Some People Can See

Ames window illusion illustrates how we don’t directly perceive external reality. Special Holiday deal! Go to and use code VERITASIUM to get 68% off a 2 year plan plus 4 additional months free. It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Special thanks to: Prof. Phil Kellman from UCLA Psychology Museum of Illusions in Los Angeles for the use of their Ames Room Curiosity Show - Video on Ames Illusion: References: Ames, A., Jr. (1951). Visual perception and the rotating trapezoidal window. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 65(7), i–32. Marcel de Heer & Thomas V. Papathomas (2017) The Ames Window Illusion and Its Variations DOI::oso/ Oross, Stephen, Francis, Ellie, Mauk, Deborah & Fox, Robert. (1987). The Ames Window Illusion: Perception of Illusory Motion by Human Infants. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 13(4), 609-613. Behrens, R. (1987). The Life and Unusual Ideas of Adelbert Ames, Jr. Leonardo, 20(3), 273-279. doi: Burnham, C., & Ono, H. (1969). Variables Altering Perception of the Rotating Trapezoidal Illusion. The American Journal of Psychology, 82(1), 86-95. doi: Allport, G. W., & Pettigrew, T. F. (1957). Cultural influence on the perception of movement: The trapezoidal illusion among Zulus. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 55(1), 104–113. Zenhausern R. Effect of Perspective on Two Trapezoid Illusions. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 1969;28(3):1003-1009. doi: Gehringer, W. L., & Engel, E. (1986). Effect of ecological viewing conditions on the Ames’ distorted room illusion. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 12(2), 181–185. Long, G.M., Toppino, T.C. Adaptation effects and reversible figures: A comment on Horlitz and O’Leary. Perception & Psychophysics 56, 605–610 (1994). Gregory RL. Looking through the Ames window. Perception. 2009;38(12):1739-40. doi: PMID: 20192124. Jahoda, G. (1966). Geometric illusions and environment: A study in Ghana. British Journal of Psychology, 57(1-2), 193–199. V. Mary Stewart (1974) A Cross-Cultural Test of the “Carpentered World” Hypothesis Using The Ames Distorted Room Illusion, International Journal of Psychology, 9:2, 79-89, DOI: Margaret Kathleen Cappone (1966) The Effect of Verbal Suggestion on the Reversal Rate of the Ames Trapezoid Illusion, The Journal of Psychology, 62:2, 211-219, DOI: Researched and written by Petr Lebedev and Derek Muller Filmed by Derek Muller and Raquel Nuno Animations, VFX, and Music by Jonny Hyman Ames Room VFX and additional Ames Window animation by Nicolas Pratt Additional Music from “Life in Color“ “Singularity“ Large Ames window construction by GW Construction Video supplied by Getty Images