autokinetic effect

autokinetic effect

noun Psychology.
apparent motion of a single point of light or a small object when presented on a dark field and observed continuously.
Also called autokinetic illusion.


Origin:
1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Autokinetic effect is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

autokinetic effect

illusory movement of a single still object, usually a stationary pinpoint of light used in psychology experiments in dark rooms. As one stares at a fixed point of light, one's eye muscles become fatigued, causing a slight eye movement. Without the usual reference points available in the everyday environment, the movement of the image on the retina is perceived as its actual movement in space

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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