CambSciFest: Seeing Through Magic: The Psychology of Illusion

250 Binney Street, Cambridge MA

Description

Is seeing believing? Is believing seeing? How can we hope to conduct experiments on things that only exist within our minds? Can scientists be trusted to study deception without being deceived themselves? Magicians have developed powerful techniques that allow them to induce vivid illusions of magical or supernatural-seeming experiences by exploiting the limits and eccentricities of human cognition. Beyond being simple tricks, magic illusions can help researchers glean new insights into the workings of our minds. Join magician and experimental psychologist Dr. Matthew L. Tompkins for a fascinating talk exploring the science of magic and illusion. This presentation will feature a mixture of storytelling and magical scientific demonstrations illustrating how scientists, past and present, have approached the study of illusion. Register here: http://bit.ly/ScienceIllusion This is the second live event in the three-part series on science, magic and illusion sponsored by Siena Construction for Cambridge Science Festival. Register: http://bit.ly/ScienceIllusion