Many sensory illusions may be described as the aftereffects of the stimulation, or overstimulation, of the senses. Sensitivity in any of the senses may be measured as the just-perceptible intensity (threshold, or limen) of the appropriate stimulus. The smallest detectable stimulus is called the absolute threshold, while the smallest detectable change in the intensity of a stimulus is called the difference threshold. Such thresholds can serve as points of reference, or anchors, against which subsequent stimuli are judged or perceived. Yet sensory anchors fluctuate within the same individual under different conditions, and in some cases they can mislead a person about the properties of subsequent stimuli. For example, two successive stimuli may be identical but nevertheless give the illusion of being different.
This illusion may be explained in part by a “fading trace” theory, proposed by Gestalt psychologists. The theory suggests that a physical trace (in the form of temporarily excited nerve cells) of an original stimulus remains in the brain even after that stimulus stops and that this trace influences the estimate or appreciation of a subsequent stimulus.
The strength of the trace, also called an aftereffect, and the speed of its disappearance vary greatly in individual cases. People who are field dependent (that is, who tend to observe a field in its totality) are said to show weaker aftereffect traces. Conversely, field-independent subjects (those who, by selective attention, are more likely to consider a specific stimulus apart from its context) show stronger aftereffects.
