Goal: To engage and retrain the primary and secondary visual cortices (V1, V2), as well as higher-order visual association areas, to reduce susceptibility to the illusion presented by the concentric square-ring pattern.
- Monitor/Screen: Large enough to view the entire ring structure from varying distances (approximately 2–3 meters for close-range training and 8–12 feet for long-range training).
- Sweet Beverage: A natural juice (e.g., orange or apple) containing real sugar. Small sips of this juice can help provide mild reward feedback to reinforce attention and neuronal plasticity.
- Focusing attention on individual squares (both black and white) requires oculomotor control, foveal engagement, and selective attention.
- The brief sips of juice serve as a reward stimulus, enhancing dopaminergic modulation and reward-based learning in the brain, which can facilitate the consolidation of new visual-processing habits.
- Varying the viewing distance ensures that different scales of saccadic eye movements and visual acuity come into play, strengthening the brain’s adaptability (i.e., neuroplasticity) across multiple visual contexts.
Close-Range Training (2–3 Feet from the Monitor)
- Loop 1 (Outer Ring) Stand or sit so you can comfortably see the entire outer ring. Visually track each square (both white and black) one by one in a clockwise or counterclockwise manner. Use foveal fixation on each square, counting them as “1-2-3 white, 1-2-3 black,” to maintain sustained attention and avoid any slip into peripheral vision. Upon completing the full circumference of the ring, take a short reward break: sip a small amount of juice. Rest for a minute or two to allow your attentional resources to reset.
- Loop 2 (Inner Ring) Shift to the smaller, inner ring. Repeat the same procedure of visually tracking each square, again counting “1-2-3 white, 1-2-3 black.” Maintain strict ocular fixation on each square, resisting distractions. Upon completing the circle, have a small sip of juice. Take another short break (1–2 minutes) before proceeding.
- Loop 3 (Inner Empty Space) Now focus on the empty space inside the inner ring. Keep your gaze and attentional focus following that ring’s inner contour (imagining a circular path where no squares are present), ensuring your eyes do not drift outward. Once you complete the imaginary loop, take another sip of juice and a brief break.
- Loop 4 (Outer Empty Space) Finally, focus on the empty space outside the outer ring, guiding your attention around the external boundary. Maintain top-down visual processing by consciously preventing your gaze from shifting onto the squares or the interior space. Upon finishing, reward yourself with another small sip of juice and rest briefly.
Long-Range Training (8–12 Feet from the Monitor)
- Reposition Move back so you are 8–12 feet away but can still discern each square distinctly. This increased distance introduces an additional challenge to your visual acuity and saccadic eye movement accuracy.
- Repeat All Steps Perform the same four steps (outer squares, inner squares, inner empty space, outer empty space) with the same counting and fixation strategy. Take sips of juice after each loop, and continue to insert short rest intervals to give your visual cortex time to recalibrate.
- Practice and Neuroplasticity Over time, this repetitive and reward-associated training enhances neuroplastic changes in your visual processing circuits, leading to reduced susceptibility to the illusion. The key is to perform these steps diligently, maintaining full attentional engagement.
By engaging in this targeted training—focusing your primary visual cortex and higher-order association areas on both the squares and the empty spaces, and pairing the activity with minor reward stimuli—you gradually rewire your perceptual response to the illusion. Repetition and consistency are crucial: the more often you practice, the stronger and more long-lasting the neural adaptations become. Eventually, your brain will more readily “see through” the illusion, demonstrating enhanced attentional control and visual discrimination.
Enjoy the process, and remember that integrating these short reward-based intervals helps reinforce the learning experience at a neural level.
#neuroscience #illusions #neuroplasticity #braintraining #brain
