Unconscious Inference

Unconscious Inference is part of a theory of visual perception that was first put forward by German researcher Hermann von Helmholtz. This theory implies that human vision is incomplete and that details are inferred by the unconscious mind to create a complete picture. Some of the assumptions that the brain makes from the eye's perception are motion and depth perception. Many of us have had the experience of, due to atmospheric conditions and/or distance, of believing that we see trees or buildings shimmering or moving, or of buildings or mountains seeing closer than they really are.