Multistable perception (orbistable perception) is aperceptual phenomenon in which an observer experiences an unpredictable sequence of spontaneous subjective changes. While usually associated withvisual perception (a form ofoptical illusion), multistable perception can also be experienced withauditory andolfactory percepts.
Perceptualmultistability can be evoked by visual patterns that are tooambiguous for the humanvisual system to definitively and uniquely interpret. Familiar examples include theNecker cube,Schroeder staircase,structure from motion,monocular rivalry, andbinocular rivalry, but many more visuallyambiguous patterns are known. Because most of these images lead to an alternation between two mutually exclusive perceptual states, they are sometimes also referred to as bistable perception.[1]
Auditory andolfactory examples can occur when there are conflicting, and so rival, inputs into the twoears[2] or twonostrils.[3]
The transition from one precept (an undefined term) to its alternative (the defined term) is called a perceptual reversal (Paradigm shift). They are spontaneous andstochastic events that cannot be eliminated by intentional efforts, although some control over the alternation process is learnable. Reversal rates vary drastically between stimuli and observers. They are slower for people withbipolar disorder.[4][5]
Human interest in these phenomena can be traced back toantiquity.[citation needed] The fascination with multistable perception probably comes from the active nature ofendogenous perceptual changes or from the dissociation of dynamic perception from constant sensory stimulation.
Multistable perception was a common feature in the artwork of theDutchlithographerM. C. Escher, who was strongly influenced by mathematical physicists such asRoger Penrose.[citation needed]
Photographs of craters, from either the moon or other planets including our own, can exhibit this phenomenon. Craters in stereo vision, such as our eyes, normally appear concave. However, in monocular presentations, such as photographs, the elimination of our depth perception causes multistable perception, which can cause the craters to look like plateaus rather than pits. For humans, the "default" interpretation comes from an assumption oftop-left lighting, so that rotating the image by 180 degrees can cause the perception to suddenly switch.[6][7] This phenomenon is called the concave/convex, or simply up/down, ambiguity, and it confusescomputer vision as well.[8]
In literature, thescience fictionnovel,Dhalgren, bySamuel R. Delany, contains circular text, multistable perception, and multiple entry points.[citation needed]
Multistable perception arises with the theater segments ofMystery Science Theater 3000, as due to the construction of theCrow T. Robot puppet, its head can appear to be facing towards the camera rather than towards the film being shown. This was addressed by the creators of the series, even likening Crow to aNecker cube[9] orThe Spinning Dancer.[when?]
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