<P> This has been believed to be the explanation for motion perception in cinema and animated films, but this theory has long been discarded by scientists . </P> <P> It is assumed that the illusion that film historians often refer to as "persistence of vision" is the same as what is known as positive afterimages by psychologists . The cause of positive afterimages is not well known, but possibly reflects persisting activity in the brain when the retinal photoreceptor cells continue to send neural impulses to the occipital lobe . </P> <P> Early descriptions of the illusion often attributed the effect purely to imperfections of the eye, particularly of the retina . Nerves and parts of the brain later became part of explanations . </P> <P> Sensory memory has been cited as a cause . </P>

Who came up with the persistence of vision theory