Where is the ball? Behavioral and neural responses elicited by a magic trick. Psychophysiology 2016 Sep;53(9):1441-8
Date
07/01/2016Pubmed ID
27356507DOI
10.1111/psyp.12691Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85028269917 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 2 CitationsAbstract
We present results from two experiments, in which subjects watched continuous videos of a professional magician repeatedly performing a maneuver in which a ball could "magically" appear under a cup. In all cases, subjects were asked to predict whether the ball would appear under the cup or not, while scalp EEG recordings were performed. Both experiments elicited strong and consistent behavioral and neural responses. In the first experiment, we used two blocks of videos with different probabilities of the ball appearing in the cup and found that, first, based on the behavioral responses, the subjects could track this probability change; and second, the different probabilities modulated the neural responses. In the second experiment, we introduced a control condition in which the magician performed the maneuver under the table, out of subjects' view. Comparing the two conditions (i.e., performing the maneuver within or out of the subjects' view), we found that, first, the magic trick dramatically biased the subjects' behavioral responses; and second, the two conditions led to differential neural responses, in spite of the fact that the stimulus triggering the evoked responses (seeing the ball in the cup) was exactly the same. Altogether, our results show how new insights into sensory and cognitive processing can be obtained using adapted magic tricks. Moreover, the approach of analyzing responses to continuous video presentations offers a more ecological setting compared to classic evoked potential paradigms, which are typically based on presenting static images flashed at the center of the screen.
Author List
Caffaratti H, Navajas J, Rey HG, Quian Quiroga RAuthor
Hernan Gonzalo Rey PhD Assistant Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAnticipation, Psychological
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials
Female
Humans
Male
Probability
Visual Perception
Young Adult
