THE EBBINGHAUS ILLUSION

The phenomenon of contextual clutter

The two center circles are the same size, but the visual context created by the surrounding circles of different sizes makes the center dots appear to be of different sizes too.*

ASK YOURSELF:
In your hospital pharmacy, what “contextual clutter” – different vial sizes, crowded shelves, template labeling and lighting variances – might be impacting your pursuit of accurate medication selection?

* Burton G. The tenacity of historical misinformation. Titchener did not invent the Titchener illusion. Hist Psychol. 2001;4(3):228-244.

THE EBBINGHAUS
ILLUSION

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