Schizophrenia and Magic Eye

So, I have this theory I'm working on. For some of this I need any of you who have been diagnosed with a Schizotype Spectrum disorder of any sort to answer one simple question. Have you ever been able to get those old 'Magic Eye' posters to work for you? Remember where you were supposed to look and defocus your eyes; they were big for a while and a number of books came out with them? Just do a google search if you don't know what it is. After a while and a few poll results, I'll explain my theory a little bit.

I've thought about the same stuff a few years back and some cognitive disfunction. Years ago after looking at them for hours I found only one I could see.My friends would laugh about it but I tried again and again.Out of probobley 40 I could only see one.I wounder if it has anything to do with schizo or what ever.......whats your theory?

I was basically reading about Negative Priming on wikipedia (acknowledged not the best source of academia) and apparently schizotypes have less negative priming than normal folks. This led me to think about how reduced negative priming could play into the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Basically it's not just perceptual, it's also verbal and cognitive. Hence our minds over process unnecessary data. The negative priming issue may explain why hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia are there. If there is too much dopamine, the schizotype cannot experience pleasure from events that normally cause dopamine release because the amount of dopamine released during a pleasurable event is comparatively less than what's already going on. This leads to anhedonia.

However, this could also be the cause of reduced negative priming, because it's less likely that such a small amount of dopamine released while focusing on a single data item will cause regard of that data item as novel. Hence reduced negative priming.

This comes into play with magic eye posters as these posters basically rely on negative priming to function. Normally one defocuses (visually and cognitively) on the static pattern and and sees only a novel item, in this case tricking the brain into seeing a picture. However, with schizotypes there is reduced negative priming, so if this is all accurate it would stand to reason that schizotypes would have a much more difficult time seeing the novel item (picture) in magic eye posters, because they're brain doesn't defocus from the original pattern.

Anecdotally I was impressed that it is suspected that reduced negative priming is the biological advantage to schizotypy that keeps it in the gene pool. Basically schizotypes are better at perceiving big picture patterns in data because they don't ignore non-novel data items as quickly (basically don't ignore unimportant facts). This also leads to obvious trouble.

I didn't want to state any of this at first because I wanted to avoid a confirmation bias in this poll. Although I think it hardly matters with as few responses. Plus I would have to set up an equally large control group to see how non-schizotypes answer the same questions.

Anyways, food for thought, in case anyone was lacking. I may be completely off on my facts here, I'm not an academic. I'm looking forward to seeing people's responses to this.

Hi Sarpirus,

You have obviously given this a lot of careful thought. Valid question and hypothesis, ideas about experimental studies, have you ever tried to contact anyone already working on it?

E

i found this incredibly interesting. thanks for posting your theory and the poll. i'm sorry you didn't get more feedback. it's a really intelligent theory.

Antidote, our eyes are limited in depth perception,the anatomical construction of the eye is to see things as they truly exist,not to play tricks with them but very interesting.Another neat trick is mirrors.most mirrors of the 21 century are not accurate to true perception.How is this,how can this be true...experament...get a coin place it edge first on a mirror if the edge is not reflected ( but is edge to edge) this is proper reflection,If you see the edge this is refraction and is a false image,That's why you look different in different mirrors.Mirrors predating mid 20th century dont do this....why because they were cut from crytal and raped in foil thats why a true crystal mirror costs hundreds of dollars and not 5 bucks.
Very strange....Very true.

I am very pleased at the responses. I was worried posting something like this that it wouldn't be coherent. I knew what I was thinking so I was very careful and took some time to write it out. I often worry that after admitting some symptoms many will write off creativity as apophenia and not epiphany.

I don't know of any actual studies based on this as it doesn't entail rigorous use of expensive pharmaceuticals. I don't know how to present this to someone who might be in a position to facilitate a formal study either. Perhaps any of you might share this with anyone you know? I am not interested with who came up with ideas if this proves to be a meaningful thing. Think, a better and objective diagnostic tool or maybe even screening for high risk data?

I'm very thankful at your responses

I am schizophrenic and cant get them to work or any other optical illusion for that matter

Interesting. If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying peoplpe dx w/sz would be less likely to be able to see the hidden picture. In my family it's the opposite. My son (dx w/sz) loved those stupid things when he was a kid. He collected books of them. He could always see the picture.

I, on the other hand, with no dx, have never seen the hidden picture.

BTW my son never sees the Charlie Chapin mask optical illusion, and I can't avoid seeing it: Schizophrenic Brains Not Fooled by Optical Illusion. He always sees the inside of the mask, and - try as I might - I always see the illusion of a tan colored face.

Costello - I always see that as well - that proves I'm not ill, I should probably mention it to my doctor.
It's on the gang stalking site, to prove to all those people that they are in danger.

I cant EVER see those stupid things!!! But psychiatrist tells me i have DID. My T thinks i'm schizophrenic/ psychotic.

I'm not sure it proves that. I can't see them, and I'm not ill. My son sees them, and he's clearly ill. There's probably variability.

Did you look at the Charlie Chaplin mask video? Do you see the nose on the inside as bulging out or pushed in?

I see it coming out, like I said the gang stalking site uses it to prove that people aren't ill.

i see it both ways. right before the back turns either way i see concave just concave. but full on i see the back convex. prob why i have schizoaffective.
(not saying this is reliable just saying my results.)

hm i remember reading that. they say to get to a psychdoc to make sure your not ill but if you go the psychodoc may diagnose you with it if you say your gangstalked. you know

That's why I went to prove what is happening, since my psychologist kept saying I should see a doctor - just to see what they say.
So she sorted it out and I went and it didn't work out right, well for me and then I started seeing the early intervention team.

It sounds like you see it the way I do. As it's rotating around I can see the inside for awhile - pushed in. Then at a certain point, it "flips" and I see the inside of the mask pushed out toward me like a tan face - but it's rotating in the opposite direction. Then it gets to another point and it "flips" again - the painted side shows up rotating in the original direction.

i did not get so lucky. im 21 almost 22 and have been in the system since i was 13. nearly half my life. got dx'd with schizoaffective first time @ 15. im saying if i couldve chosen to not to go i wouldve stayed away from this system. this whole thing. idk how many times i have to tell them im not delusional even though i have this dx. i know im not. it is not my fault this is a common problem. i dont deny to hearing voices. i am not delusional though. i cannot say i am being followed to them in some way without being not believed. this did not go away on the meds. so what now? do they believe me now? no.
im considered a hassle and noncompliant because i stand up to them. well and because i do not take my meds lol. i dont for a reason. medical side effects. BUT i do not care. there is no threat. they just dont like to hear the truth.

hah haha i dont know what to say but i dont think this is reliable.

EDIT//
actually i have no idea honestly

....idk...
id like to think of myself as logical

i kill threads always

hey im a spacenaut you guys how do u think i feel?

I don't think you killed the thread. I just went out to hang out with my mom like I always do on Sunday. And Kureha probably went to bed since they're like 8 hours ahead of us or something.

I looked at a 'Magic Eye' website & only got the first one to work. After that, I couldn't see any of them. I did about 10 so I figured my odds were 1:10 & just answered the poll anyway... However, on the 'hollow mask' illusion? I kept getting really confused because as I watched it more, I thought the hollow side was supposed to stick out & thought the painted side was actually sucked in? Lol. I need to avoid optical illusions. XD

I've never been able to do Magic Eyes (much to my distress as a child ) but with the hollow Charlie Chaplin face, I can make either side appear convex or concave just by thinking about it. I don't think that's how it's supposed to work!

Have you seen the spinning silhouette? When I first saw that I stared at it long enough that I was able to make her change direction at will. I tried again the other day, and I can't do it anymore. She always turns counterclockwise.

About the magic eye: I've never seen a picture in them, and my son does - which is pretty much the opposite of prediction. Actually now that I say that, I wonder if he still sees them. He loved them as a child, but I don't know that he's looked at one since he got ill. Hmmm

Oh yeah, I can see it both ways. Actually, most optical illusions I can see all the ways depending on how I focus.

I never got the magic eye craze. They were a fad when I was a kid, shortly after pogs and about the same time as tamagotchis ( ) but I could never see them. It made me so sad. I haven't bothered to look at one in years, though. Maybe I could see one now if I tried.