Pascal Mamassian
@mamassian.bsky.social
I’m studying visual perception, mostly using psychophysics. I work for the CNRS at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris.
This head is spinning continuously, but we see it rotating back and forth...
...presumably because of our strong prior expectation that faces are convex.
This is a very nice example of the Hollow-Face illusion promoted by Richard Gregory:
www.richardgregory.org/experiments/
...presumably because of our strong prior expectation that faces are convex.
This is a very nice example of the Hollow-Face illusion promoted by Richard Gregory:
www.richardgregory.org/experiments/
December 20, 2025 at 5:59 PM
This head is spinning continuously, but we see it rotating back and forth...
...presumably because of our strong prior expectation that faces are convex.
This is a very nice example of the Hollow-Face illusion promoted by Richard Gregory:
www.richardgregory.org/experiments/
...presumably because of our strong prior expectation that faces are convex.
This is a very nice example of the Hollow-Face illusion promoted by Richard Gregory:
www.richardgregory.org/experiments/
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
Exposition Bridget Riley et Seurat au musée d’Orsay jusqu’au 26 janvier, l’artiste presque centenaire, gloire de l’art cinétique, eu la révélation des interactions des couleurs en copiant Seurat en 1959. L’occasion rare de faire l’expérience sensible des liens reliant ces 2 géants de la perception
December 20, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Exposition Bridget Riley et Seurat au musée d’Orsay jusqu’au 26 janvier, l’artiste presque centenaire, gloire de l’art cinétique, eu la révélation des interactions des couleurs en copiant Seurat en 1959. L’occasion rare de faire l’expérience sensible des liens reliant ces 2 géants de la perception
Congratulations Sara and Guido!
The two of you look beautiful!
The two of you look beautiful!
Sara and I got married last Friday (12.12.2025) ❤️It was a lovely day. As always, things are slightly complicated, but Sara is amazing. Full update: gofund.me/b127be3ca
Donate to Sara's Brain Cancer Treatments, organized by Guido Maiello
Dear Family and Friends, Old and New,
We are the family of Sara Joy Hawkins, and this… Guido Maiello needs your support for Sara's Brain Cancer Treatments
gofund.me
December 15, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Congratulations Sara and Guido!
The two of you look beautiful!
The two of you look beautiful!
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
Great new initiative from the editors of Perception: Philosophy Corner. A forum for "accessible reflections on the conceptual foundations of sensory/perception science where empirical insight meets philosophical inquiry". journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Introducing Philosophy Corner - Tim S. Meese, Pascal Mamassian, Isabelle Mareschal, Frans A.J. Verstraten, 2025
journals.sagepub.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Great new initiative from the editors of Perception: Philosophy Corner. A forum for "accessible reflections on the conceptual foundations of sensory/perception science where empirical insight meets philosophical inquiry". journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
L’ancêtre du camouflage, crée pour la 1ere guerre mondiale, pour des navires de guerre. Les rayures empêchent de déterminer la vitesse, entraine la confusion et rend imprécis les tirs…
Dazzle Ships in Drydock, Liverpool, 1919, painting by Edward Wadsworth. Dazzle camouflage was created in WW1 to protect British ships from German artillery, making it difficult to estimate speed and direction. Wadsworth supervised design of camouflage patterns. #NorthernArt
December 9, 2025 at 6:17 PM
L’ancêtre du camouflage, crée pour la 1ere guerre mondiale, pour des navires de guerre. Les rayures empêchent de déterminer la vitesse, entraine la confusion et rend imprécis les tirs…
Congratulations Dr Nadia Hosseinizaveh!
It was an honour to work with you.
And thank you to your PhD committee for the great discussion,
@nfaivre.bsky.social
Bahador Bahrami
@clairesergent.bsky.social
@opheliaderoy.bsky.social
Frédérique de Vignemont
It was an honour to work with you.
And thank you to your PhD committee for the great discussion,
@nfaivre.bsky.social
Bahador Bahrami
@clairesergent.bsky.social
@opheliaderoy.bsky.social
Frédérique de Vignemont
Congratulations to @nadiahosseinizaveh.bsky.social on a brilliant PhD defense: "Evolution and Dynamics of Perceptual Confidence: From Perceptual Learning to Global Confidence Formation". Impressive work advancing our understanding of perception and metacognition.
December 8, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Congratulations Dr Nadia Hosseinizaveh!
It was an honour to work with you.
And thank you to your PhD committee for the great discussion,
@nfaivre.bsky.social
Bahador Bahrami
@clairesergent.bsky.social
@opheliaderoy.bsky.social
Frédérique de Vignemont
It was an honour to work with you.
And thank you to your PhD committee for the great discussion,
@nfaivre.bsky.social
Bahador Bahrami
@clairesergent.bsky.social
@opheliaderoy.bsky.social
Frédérique de Vignemont
Pleased to share that a collaboration project between David Pascucci (UNIL/CHUV) and I has been selected for funding.
Our project asks a central question:
Why do individuals differ in how their perceptual judgments are shaped by temporal context?
(1/2)
Our project asks a central question:
Why do individuals differ in how their perceptual judgments are shaped by temporal context?
(1/2)
December 5, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Pleased to share that a collaboration project between David Pascucci (UNIL/CHUV) and I has been selected for funding.
Our project asks a central question:
Why do individuals differ in how their perceptual judgments are shaped by temporal context?
(1/2)
Our project asks a central question:
Why do individuals differ in how their perceptual judgments are shaped by temporal context?
(1/2)
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
L'écriture de mon manuel de psychoacoustique #openaccess avance bien : chapitre 1 (méthodologie de la psychophysique) terminé, chapitre 2 (physiologie du système auditif) terminé pour ce qui concerne le système auditif périphérique, j'attaque le chapitre 4 !
leovarnet.github.io/psychoac-man...
leovarnet.github.io/psychoac-man...
Bienvenue ! — Psychoacoustique et perception auditive, une introduction
leovarnet.github.io
December 2, 2025 at 5:58 PM
L'écriture de mon manuel de psychoacoustique #openaccess avance bien : chapitre 1 (méthodologie de la psychophysique) terminé, chapitre 2 (physiologie du système auditif) terminé pour ce qui concerne le système auditif périphérique, j'attaque le chapitre 4 !
leovarnet.github.io/psychoac-man...
leovarnet.github.io/psychoac-man...
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
🚨Friends, we’re happy to share that our book is available for pre-order! 🎉
We aimed to cover all the foundations of the topic in an accessible manner for a large audience.
It could help set up a bachelor-level curriculum on the topic.
Pre-orders are very key for the fate of books: shorturl.at/Dxbif
We aimed to cover all the foundations of the topic in an accessible manner for a large audience.
It could help set up a bachelor-level curriculum on the topic.
Pre-orders are very key for the fate of books: shorturl.at/Dxbif
November 26, 2025 at 11:38 AM
🚨Friends, we’re happy to share that our book is available for pre-order! 🎉
We aimed to cover all the foundations of the topic in an accessible manner for a large audience.
It could help set up a bachelor-level curriculum on the topic.
Pre-orders are very key for the fate of books: shorturl.at/Dxbif
We aimed to cover all the foundations of the topic in an accessible manner for a large audience.
It could help set up a bachelor-level curriculum on the topic.
Pre-orders are very key for the fate of books: shorturl.at/Dxbif
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
Learn more about the origins of Neurotree and how you can use it to explore trends in neuroscience.
By mapping connections among researchers, Neurotree makes it possible to trace how the field has evolved and to visualize how shifts in lab size, training and other factors can shape its direction, writes founder @stephenvdavid.bsky.social.
bit.ly/4od0SiL
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
bit.ly/4od0SiL
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
Tracing neuroscience’s family tree to track its growth
By mapping connections among researchers, Neurotree makes it possible to see how the field has evolved and what factors shape its direction.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Learn more about the origins of Neurotree and how you can use it to explore trends in neuroscience.
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
This is such a bizarre illusion - the helmet leads to an expectation of a face inside and all I saw was a blurred out face until I realized what's really happening...
It took me a good 30 seconds of staring at this photo to realise that I wasn't absolutely hammered and/or hallucinating. #theashes
November 21, 2025 at 5:24 PM
This is such a bizarre illusion - the helmet leads to an expectation of a face inside and all I saw was a blurred out face until I realized what's really happening...
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
The Ponizsa illusion - Kanizsa triangle produces Ponzo illusion, but oddly it inverts apparent depth: the longer line looks closer! Also has an inversion effect like we studied in Altan et al 2025 Proc Roy Soc (doi.org/10.1098/rspb...) but it's also in reverse! 🤔
#visionscience #psychscisky
#visionscience #psychscisky
November 12, 2025 at 2:58 AM
The Ponizsa illusion - Kanizsa triangle produces Ponzo illusion, but oddly it inverts apparent depth: the longer line looks closer! Also has an inversion effect like we studied in Altan et al 2025 Proc Roy Soc (doi.org/10.1098/rspb...) but it's also in reverse! 🤔
#visionscience #psychscisky
#visionscience #psychscisky
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
Excellent chimeric face image showing off a left visual field bias for face processing - this image will tend to look more like John Travolta to observers, but the next one (see following post in this thread)... <1/2>
Respond with the same actor as a hero and villain.
November 4, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Excellent chimeric face image showing off a left visual field bias for face processing - this image will tend to look more like John Travolta to observers, but the next one (see following post in this thread)... <1/2>
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
A new addition to my “Visual Phenomena and Optical Illusions” collection: “Mainz-Linez”. Here's the live demonstration and explanation of the somewhat mysterious title: michaelbach.de/ot/mot-Mainz.... Enjoy!
October 31, 2025 at 9:34 AM
A new addition to my “Visual Phenomena and Optical Illusions” collection: “Mainz-Linez”. Here's the live demonstration and explanation of the somewhat mysterious title: michaelbach.de/ot/mot-Mainz.... Enjoy!
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
A new, Short and Sweet open-access paper on how briefly hiding the hand impedes goal-directed arm movements. Briefly is really brief: we find a decrease in performance in goal-directed movements due to just a few ms without vision of the hand (target remains visible). doi.org/10.1177/0301...
October 27, 2025 at 10:49 AM
A new, Short and Sweet open-access paper on how briefly hiding the hand impedes goal-directed arm movements. Briefly is really brief: we find a decrease in performance in goal-directed movements due to just a few ms without vision of the hand (target remains visible). doi.org/10.1177/0301...
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
[PhD track in Cognitive Science at Département d'Études Cognitives, ENS-PSL]
Applications are now open for the PSL PhD Track 2026–2027 in Cognitive Science!
This 5-year integrated program is aimed at talented students eager to tackle the scientific challenges of the future and to start shaping 1/2
Applications are now open for the PSL PhD Track 2026–2027 in Cognitive Science!
This 5-year integrated program is aimed at talented students eager to tackle the scientific challenges of the future and to start shaping 1/2
PhD track in cognitive science | PSL
Faire un don
psl.eu
October 23, 2025 at 12:46 PM
[PhD track in Cognitive Science at Département d'Études Cognitives, ENS-PSL]
Applications are now open for the PSL PhD Track 2026–2027 in Cognitive Science!
This 5-year integrated program is aimed at talented students eager to tackle the scientific challenges of the future and to start shaping 1/2
Applications are now open for the PSL PhD Track 2026–2027 in Cognitive Science!
This 5-year integrated program is aimed at talented students eager to tackle the scientific challenges of the future and to start shaping 1/2
Heureux de venir parler des bases neuroscientifiques et psychologiques de la synesthésie (cette confusion des sens), le mercredi 15 octobre à 10h30, dans le cadre de l’exposition Kandinksy à la Philharmonie de Paris
philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/...
philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/...
Les sens de la musique
philharmoniedeparis.fr
October 13, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Heureux de venir parler des bases neuroscientifiques et psychologiques de la synesthésie (cette confusion des sens), le mercredi 15 octobre à 10h30, dans le cadre de l’exposition Kandinksy à la Philharmonie de Paris
philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/...
philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/...
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
How about in this case?
Surprisingly, most people *predominantly see 180° motion*, while 360° motion is hardly, if ever, perceived – even though the rings move in the same way as above!
[3/6]
Surprisingly, most people *predominantly see 180° motion*, while 360° motion is hardly, if ever, perceived – even though the rings move in the same way as above!
[3/6]
October 3, 2025 at 2:28 PM
How about in this case?
Surprisingly, most people *predominantly see 180° motion*, while 360° motion is hardly, if ever, perceived – even though the rings move in the same way as above!
[3/6]
Surprisingly, most people *predominantly see 180° motion*, while 360° motion is hardly, if ever, perceived – even though the rings move in the same way as above!
[3/6]
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
"This integration supports the conclusion that time may be the fundamental dimension along which the brain organizes its sensorium..."
Fantastic review by Pawan Sinha and colleagues (@lukasvogelsang.bsky.social @marinv.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
Fantastic review by Pawan Sinha and colleagues (@lukasvogelsang.bsky.social @marinv.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
The Temporal Scaffolding of Sensory Organization
How a developing nervous system discovers meaning in complex sensory inputs has typically been examined separately for each sensory modality. Even as studies have uncovered modality-specific strategie...
doi.org
October 2, 2025 at 3:03 PM
"This integration supports the conclusion that time may be the fundamental dimension along which the brain organizes its sensorium..."
Fantastic review by Pawan Sinha and colleagues (@lukasvogelsang.bsky.social @marinv.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
Fantastic review by Pawan Sinha and colleagues (@lukasvogelsang.bsky.social @marinv.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
Delighted to share this work led by Thomas Schaffhauser on the processing of rich natural-like motion stimuli (“motion clouds”) in the visual cortex of the ferret:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
This work was done with Yves Boubenec at the @lsp-ens.bsky.social.
[1/3]
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
This work was done with Yves Boubenec at the @lsp-ens.bsky.social.
[1/3]
Encoding and combining naturalistic motion cues in the ferret higher visual cortex
Natural visual scenes contain rich flows of pattern motion that vary not only in orientation but also in spatial sizes and temporal rhythms. To properly interpret the motion, the brain must extract in...
www.biorxiv.org
September 26, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Delighted to share this work led by Thomas Schaffhauser on the processing of rich natural-like motion stimuli (“motion clouds”) in the visual cortex of the ferret:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
This work was done with Yves Boubenec at the @lsp-ens.bsky.social.
[1/3]
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
This work was done with Yves Boubenec at the @lsp-ens.bsky.social.
[1/3]
A nice shift in perceived colour between central and peripheral vision. The fixated disc looks purple while the others look blue.
The effect presumably comes from the absence of S-cones in the fovea.
From Hinnerk Schulz-Hildebrandt:
arxiv.org/pdf/2509.115...
The effect presumably comes from the absence of S-cones in the fovea.
From Hinnerk Schulz-Hildebrandt:
arxiv.org/pdf/2509.115...
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
A nice shift in perceived colour between central and peripheral vision. The fixated disc looks purple while the others look blue.
The effect presumably comes from the absence of S-cones in the fovea.
From Hinnerk Schulz-Hildebrandt:
arxiv.org/pdf/2509.115...
The effect presumably comes from the absence of S-cones in the fovea.
From Hinnerk Schulz-Hildebrandt:
arxiv.org/pdf/2509.115...
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
Brightness induced by motion
Instruction: Without blinking, follow the green ball :)
live version with shader code:
www.shadertoy.com/view/tc2fDD
#illusion #perception
Instruction: Without blinking, follow the green ball :)
live version with shader code:
www.shadertoy.com/view/tc2fDD
#illusion #perception
September 24, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Brightness induced by motion
Instruction: Without blinking, follow the green ball :)
live version with shader code:
www.shadertoy.com/view/tc2fDD
#illusion #perception
Instruction: Without blinking, follow the green ball :)
live version with shader code:
www.shadertoy.com/view/tc2fDD
#illusion #perception
A beautiful painting from Georges de la Tour where the coat’s grey paint appears blue because of the dominant yellow colour in the canvas.
It took another two centuries for Eugène Chevreul to describe the laws of simultaneous contrast, used later by Vincent van Gogh, Sonia Delaunay, and others.
It took another two centuries for Eugène Chevreul to describe the laws of simultaneous contrast, used later by Vincent van Gogh, Sonia Delaunay, and others.
The new Georges de la Tour exhibition at the Jacquemart-André Museum has begun! A virtuoso technique used to meditate on the human condition.This coat of Saint Thomas contains no blue, only grey coulours; it is an optical illusion created by the adjacent yellow.
September 12, 2025 at 8:41 PM
A beautiful painting from Georges de la Tour where the coat’s grey paint appears blue because of the dominant yellow colour in the canvas.
It took another two centuries for Eugène Chevreul to describe the laws of simultaneous contrast, used later by Vincent van Gogh, Sonia Delaunay, and others.
It took another two centuries for Eugène Chevreul to describe the laws of simultaneous contrast, used later by Vincent van Gogh, Sonia Delaunay, and others.
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
My Research Highlight on an important study assessing large-scale evidence for perceptual entrainment to auditory rhythms is now out,
emphasizing the importance of replications, sample sizes and variability across individuals and labs @natureportfolio.nature.com
rdcu.be/eFODC
emphasizing the importance of replications, sample sizes and variability across individuals and labs @natureportfolio.nature.com
rdcu.be/eFODC
Neuroscience: large-scale evidence for perceptual entrainment to auditory rhythms
Communications Psychology - A large multi-lab replication study confirms that rhythmic sounds can entrain perceptual performance, while revealing substantial inter-individual variability.
rdcu.be
September 12, 2025 at 10:42 AM
My Research Highlight on an important study assessing large-scale evidence for perceptual entrainment to auditory rhythms is now out,
emphasizing the importance of replications, sample sizes and variability across individuals and labs @natureportfolio.nature.com
rdcu.be/eFODC
emphasizing the importance of replications, sample sizes and variability across individuals and labs @natureportfolio.nature.com
rdcu.be/eFODC
Reposted by Pascal Mamassian
#PressRelease 🗞️ The 2025 CNRS Gold Medal has been awarded to Stéphane Mallat, recognised the world over for his research on mathematics applied to signal processing and artificial intelligence.
👉 cnrs.fr/en/press/bet...
#CNRStalents 🏅
👉 cnrs.fr/en/press/bet...
#CNRStalents 🏅
September 11, 2025 at 9:31 AM
#PressRelease 🗞️ The 2025 CNRS Gold Medal has been awarded to Stéphane Mallat, recognised the world over for his research on mathematics applied to signal processing and artificial intelligence.
👉 cnrs.fr/en/press/bet...
#CNRStalents 🏅
👉 cnrs.fr/en/press/bet...
#CNRStalents 🏅