What phenomenon occurs when two dots flashed on either side of a screen are perceived as one?

The phenomenon where two dots flashed on either side of a screen are perceived as one is known as apparent motion. This is a perceptual illusion where the brain interprets the rapid succession of the flashing dots as continuous movement.

In the case of perceived apparent motion, the temporal and spatial relationship between the two images is crucial. When the dots are displayed in quick succession, the visual system fills in the gap between the two spatially separated dots, creating the illusion that one dot is moving from one position to another rather than perceiving them as two distinct, stationary points.

Apparent motion is fundamentally based on the way our visual processing system operates; it strives for coherence and continuity in what we see. This phenomenon is commonly exploited in various forms of media, such as films and animations, where still images are shown in succession to create the illusion of motion.

The other choices refer to different phenomena: induced motion involves the perception of motion of a stationary object due to the motion of a surrounding context; real motion is the actual movement of an object in space; and the autokinetic effect is a specific type of visual illusion that occurs when a stationary point of light in a dark environment appears to move. However, these do not describe the specific experience