Psychologist to explain 3-D perception to National Geographic audience

Bas Rokers, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, will illustrate how our brains process visual motion and depth during the three-part National Geographic television series “Brain Games.”

With the help of magician David Copperfield, Rokers and other brain scientists will demonstrate how our senses habitually fool us. “Our perceptual experience is a combination of sensory input and prior assumptions about our surroundings,” says Rokers. “Sensory illusions occur when those assumptions are violated.” Rokers has identified certain brain regions as involved in processing 3-D motion and says they may explain why up to 20 percent of people report problems watching 3-D movies such as “Avatar,” and perhaps lead to treatments of impaired 3-D vision.

The Rokers segment will air Oct. 9.