Programming Visual Illusionsfor Everyone.
Hello. If you fi nd visual illusions fascinating this book is for you. I start by providing
some background,
... [Show More] some history and some theories about visual illusions, and I discuss
in some detail twelve of my favourite illusions. Some are about surfaces, some are
about apparent size of objects, some are about colour and some involve movement.
But this is only one of the aims of the book. The other aim is to show you how you can
create these effects on any computer.
The book includes a very brief introduction to a powerful programming language
called Python®. No previous experience with programming is necessary. I will start
from the basic concepts. I will also introduce a package called PsychoPy that makes it
very easy to draw images on a computer screen. It is OK if you have never heard the
names Python or PsychoPy before. I have chosen them because they are a great combination.
Python is a modern and easy-to-read language, and PsychoPy takes care of
all the graphical aspects of drawing on a screen and also interacting with a computer.
By the way, both Python and PsychoPy are absolutely free, so you will not need to
spend any money.
The structure of the book is simple. In Chapter 1 I discuss visual illusions, why they
are more than just a curiosity, and how hard it is to classify them. I am an experimental
psychology and in particular I study visual perception, therefore I have worked in
this fi eld for many years. In this chapter, however, I will not write an academic essay
on illusions. Instead I will give a general introduction to the topic. Illusions are fun,
and most people fi nd them interesting and entertaining, I am sure that you will like
them.
I have included many references in the text. The fi rst example in Chapter 1 is
“(Shepard 1990)”. Each time that you will see a name and a year like this, the reference
is in the Bibliography at the back of the book. They are not strictly necessary as
you read the book. They are important for two reasons, one is that it is only fair to
give credit to the people who wrote the original articles, and the other is because some
readers may want to explore in more depth some illusions or some claims.
In Chapter 2 I talk about programming, and in particular about a language called
Python. I have used Python as a tool extensively but I am not a professional programmer.
This book is not a standard programming manual, it is a quick guide and
it provides enough information to start using the language. It is a bit like one of
those phrase books for when you go to a foreign country and you want to be able to
say “I would like an ice cream please”, and “let’s go to the beach!”. [Show Less]