Abstract
CURRENT models of colour vision assume that colour is represented by activity in three independent post-receptoral channels: two encoding chromatic information and one encoding luminance1. An important feature of these models is that variations in certain directions in colour space modulate the response of only one of the channels. We have tested whether such models can predict how colour appearance is altered by adaptation-induced changes in post-receptoral sensitivity. In contrast to the changes predicted by three independent channels, colour appearance is always distorted away from the direction in colour space to which the observer has adapted. This suggests that at the level at which the adaptation effects occur, there is no colour direction that invariably isolates only a single post-receptoral channel.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boynton, R. M. Human Color Vision (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York, 1979).
Benzschawel, T. & Guth, S. L. Vision Res. 22, 69–76 (1982).
Krauskopf, J., Williams, D. R. & Heeley, D. W. Vision Res. 22, 1123–1131 (1982).
Jameson, D. & Hurvich, L. M. in Handbook of Sensory Physiology. Vol. 7 (Part 4) (eds Jameson, D. & Hurvich, L M.) (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1972).
Mollon, J. D. J. exp. Biol. 146, 21–38 (1989).
Nathans, J., Thomas, D. & Hogness, D. S. Science 232, 193–202 (1986).
Le Grand, Y. Rev. Opt. Theor. Instrum. 28, 261–278 (1949).
Boynton, R. M. & Kambe, N. Color Res. Applic. 5, 13–23 (1980).
Stromeyer, C. F. & Lee, J. Vision Res. 28, 931–940 (1988).
Krauskopf, J. & Farell, B. Nature 348, 328–331 (1990).
Krauskopf, J., Williams, D. R., Mandler, M. B. & Brown, A. M. Vision Res. 26, 23–32 (1986).
Boynton, R. M., Nagy, A. L. & Eskew, R. T. Perception 15, 755–763 (1986).
Krauskopf, J., Zaidi, Q. & Mandler, M. B. J. Opt. Soc. Am. A3, 1752–1757 (1986).
Flanagan, P., Cavanagh, P. & Favreau, O. E. Vision Res. 30, 769–778 (1990).
Webster, M. A., De Valois, K. K. & Switkes, E. J. Opt. Soc. Am. A7, 1034–1049 (1990).
Gibson, J. J. & Radner, M. J. exp. Psychol. 20, 453–467 (1937).
Blakemore, C. & Sutton, P. Science 166, 245–247 (1969).
Sutherland, N. S. Q. J. exp. Psychol. 13, 222–228 (1961).
von Fieandt, K. & Moustgaard, I. K. The Perceptual World (Academic, London, 1977).
Eisner, A. & MacLeod, D. I. A. J. Opt. Soc. Am. 70, 121–123 (1980).
Derrington, A. M., Krauskopf, J. & Lennie, P. J. Physiol., Lond. 357, 241–265 (1984).
Barlow, H. B. & Földiák, P. in The Computing Neuron (eds Durbin, R. M., Miall, C. & Mitchison, G.J.) (Addison–Wesley, Wokingham, 1989).
MacLeod, D. I. A. & Boynton, R. M. J. Opt. Soc. Am. 69, 1183–1186 (1979).
Nagy, A. L. & Sanchez, R. R. J. Opt Soc. Am. A7, 1209–1217 (1990).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Webster, M., Mollon, J. Changes in colour appearance following post-receptoral adaptation. Nature 349, 235–238 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/349235a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/349235a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Motion Alters Color Appearance
Scientific Reports (2016)
-
Reverse correlation analysis of chromatic contrast perception based on chromatic mechanism models
Optical Review (2014)
-
Trading faces
Nature Neuroscience (2001)
-
Colour constancy influenced by contrast adaptation
Nature (1995)
-
Adaptive orthogonalization of opponent-color signals
Biological Cybernetics (1993)