The spinning lady

[Swatopluk]

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22492511-5005375,00.html?from=mostpop

Although I think the test is not saying what it claims it does, it's an interesting experiment.

How does she spin for you and can you change that at will?

[Darlica]

Confusing... I want to know how it's done!

She started out turning clockwise for me, then she changed direction, then changed again, then I found out what makes her change direction for me.

Going by this test my right brain functions dominate my left brain functions, at the initial phase, then if the right doesn't make it make sense the left side will take over trying to solve the problem (that what the left side does best after all).

I'm nor sure if this is a situation or a one...

[beagle]

How does she spin for you and can you change that at will?

Clockwise always. No.

This could explain why my program won't compile; I should be painting the ceiling of a chapel somewhere instead.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

It changes direction if I glance somewhere else and then look back. Are both sides of my brain equally willing to tackle the problem? 

[ivor]

First she was turning counter-clockwise, then when I looked at her feet she started turning clockwise.  A few seconds later I wanted to see her in color.  I must have three brains. 

[Aggie]

Just two, but the lobes are rather well separated in the second one.

I could change at will with effort, by looking at the shadow of the feet.  Otherwise I got distracted by the curvy bits* and couldn't change directions. Short-term memory seems to be a factor, too.... simply looking away won't change directions for me; a longer pause give a fairly random direction of spin.


*I can see how the legs and hips achieve the illusion, but the bobbly bits give the illusion of only working in whatever the current spin direction is.

[The Meromorph]

Wow.
CLockwise, but I can make her change by deciding that she pauses faceing me or facing away (foot is lower when she pauses...) But it wants very strongly to be pausing facing me...

[Darlica]

Just two, but the lobes are rather well separated in the second one.

I could change at will with effort, by looking at the shadow of the feet.  Otherwise I got distracted by the curvy bits* and couldn't change directions. Short-term memory seems to be a factor, too.... simply looking away won't change directions for me; a longer pause give a fairly random direction of spin.


*I can see how the legs and hips achieve the illusion, but the bobbly bits give the illusion of only working in whatever the current spin direction is.

We seem to achieve the same results with very different methods. When I wants her to spin counter-clockwise I spell a moderately complicated word (in English Swedish does not affect the rotation) out loud or try to remember phone numbers... addition and subtraction works too.
As soon as I "relax" she will go back to spin clockwise.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

How does she spin for you and can you change that at will?

Once I figured out it was an optical illusion and not some sort of weird "is the computer reading your mind?" experiment, I figured out that I could get her to spin either way.  I've found I can change the direction at will by closing my eyes, deciding on a direction, and then imagining her spinning that way.  I find it helps if I look for her outstretched foot as soon as I open my eyes, too.

[Griffin NoName]

I can get her to spin opposite directions by moving my eyes. The simplest and most consistent method is fixing my focus on bottom left or bottom right (tho other eye movements work too) - by swapping focus with a continual look down left, roll to look down right, roll to look down left, repeatedly, I can really confuse the poor lady.

[anthrobabe]

clock-wise-- couldn't get anything else

going back later

[Sibling Chatty]

Counterclockwise. Cannot change it.

Remember, severe dyslexic , has some visual and spatial "issues" talkin' here...

[Opsa]

Clockwise only. I even tried doing a math problem in my head and still she went clockwise. She does pause a bit every so often, but that may just be the loading.

[Darlica]

No. That is your brain "loading". Hang on to those pauses try figure out what you do to cause them, then do it again.

It is an optical illusion, the direction and speed is due to the watchers brain, and the wiring there in. 

[Bluenose]

Clockwise.

Can change direction, initially with some effort, but then more or less at will, by deciding whether her raised leg was passing infornt or behind her other leg.  the new direction would be stable until I changed it.  if I revisiit the page after a while it goes back to clockwise, so I guess that's my default direction.