When light from a flashlight is moved quickly back and forth on a wall in a darkened room, it can appear to observers that there is a trail of light moving across the wall, even though physically the light is only in one place at any given time. This experience is an effect of memory that occurs because of
A) a visual delay effect.
B) echoic memory.
C) persistence of vision.
D) top-down processing.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This effect is known as persistence of vision, which refers to the phenomenon where an image continues to be processed by the brain even after it is no longer present in the visual field. This persistence creates the illusion of a trail of light even though the light is physically only in one place at any given time.

When Light from a Flashlight Is Moved Quickly Back and Forth