Psychology of Color and Vision

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Questions and Answers

What happens to colors when they cannot be broken up or refracted anymore?

They become highly reflective

They become primary colors (correct)

They appear as shades of grey

They form intermediate colors

What type of color mixing results in darker colors by removing wavelengths of light?

Chromatic color mixing

Additive color mixing

Subtractive color mixing (correct)

Reflective color mixing

Which color is described as having high saturation?

Blue

Red (correct)

Orange

Grey

What determines lightness in color perception?

Surface reflectance Signup and view all the answers

What color is highly absorbed, often reflecting the least amount of light?

Black Signup and view all the answers

What is the outcome when all colors are mixed in subtractive color mixing?

Black Signup and view all the answers

In Newton's color wheel, what psychological properties does it help predict?

Mixes of colors to arrange them Signup and view all the answers

How is the capability of an object to reflect specific wavelengths of light typically categorized?

Based on its hue and reflectance Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of mixing blue and yellow using additive color mixing?

Green Signup and view all the answers

According to the Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory, how many types of color receptors are in the retina?

Three Signup and view all the answers

What is color halftoning primarily associated with?

Mixing three primary colors in varying saturation Signup and view all the answers

What does the principle of univariance imply about cone responses?

Cones only signal the quantity of photons they detect Signup and view all the answers

Which phenomenon describes two different light sources that appear the same to the human eye?

Metamers Signup and view all the answers

Which colors can be perceived as impossible colors according to color theory?

Reddish-green and bluish-yellow Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of pointillism as a color mixing technique?

Color mixing is achieved through dots Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following options best explains Ewald Hering's belief about yellow?

It should be included in the trichromatic theory Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Corresponding Angles and Disparity

Disparity refers to a situation where a point on the left retina and a point on the right retina have the same retinal locations.
No disparity means there is no difference in the location of the same point on both retinas.

Color Vision

We see colors through different wavelengths of light and their absorption and refraction.
Color is a mental event, meaning it's our brain's interpretation of the wavelengths of light.
When we see colors, our brain rejects that color/wavelength, and it bounces off the object.
Primary colors cannot be broken down or refracted into other colors.
Intermediate colors are formed by mixing primary colors.
Wavelengths for color depend on ambient light conditions.
Objects appear to have different colors because they have different capabilities of reflecting specific wavelengths of light.
White reflects most wavelengths of light.
Black absorbs most wavelengths of light.
Hues are a fancy word for color.
We categorize items by hues, similar hues, and range of hues from light to dark.
Newton's color wheel is an organizing system for the psychological properties of color and predicts color mixing.

Saturation

Saturation refers to the purity of the reflected wavelength.
Red has high saturation.
Gray is unsaturated and has no dominant wavelength.
Lightness is determined by the surface reflectance.

Color Mixing

Munsell color tree is a system that shows how primary colors are mixed to form secondary and tertiary colors.
Subtractive color mixing removes some wavelengths of light, reducing reflectance and leading to darker colors.
- Examples include paints, chalk, clay, and ink.
Additive color mixing adds more light energy to the mixture, increasing reflectance and leading to brighter colors.
- Examples include stage lights.
Subtractive color mixing of all colors results in black.
Additive color mixing of all colors results in white.
Colors must form a triangle with each other to be considered 3 primary colors.
Subtractive color mixing uses the multiplication rule for combining colors.
- For example, green is created from mixing blue and yellow, and the reflectance is calculated as 0.28 x 0.55 = 0.15, meaning 15% of light is reflected.
Additive color mixing uses addition to combine colors.
- Example: Yellow is created from red and green, and the reflectance is 12.5 + 7 = 19.5.

Pointillism and Color Halftoning

Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" is an example of a painting using subtractive color mixing, specifically pointillism and color halftoning.
Pointillism is a technique of mixing colors using dots without brush strokes.
Color halftoning uses three primary colors in different proportions and saturation to create images.
Pointillism and halftoning are similar to pixels on a computer screen.

Metamers and Opponent-Process Theory

Metamers are two lights with different wavelength distributions but are perceptually identical (look the same).
An example of metamers is monochromatic yellow appearing the same as a mixture of green and red that forms yellow.
Monochromatic light contains only a single wavelength.
The Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory states that the retina contains three types of cones, each most sensitive to red, green, or blue. Stimulation of these cones in combination can produce the perception of any color.
The absorption of photons by long cones is high above 550nm.
Medium cones can be stimulated at two different spots, and the combination of these spots can result in the same perception as if only M cones were stimulated.
The principle of univariance states that cones do not represent colors but rather signal the quantity of photons they catch.
Ewald Hering believed that yellow should be added to the trichromatic theory because it's necessary to see more yellowish colors.
Impossible colors are colors that cannot be perceived under normal conditions.
- Examples include reddish-green and bluish-yellow; they cannot be seen at the same time.
The opponent-process theory states that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. This theory is a dual process, where L/R is stimulated and M/G is inhibited, or vice versa.
The voltmeter analogy is used to illustrate the opponent-process theory. It measures the potential difference between two points, in this case, the intensity of a color against its opponent/complementary color.
- For example, red is high voltage and green is low, or blue is high voltage and yellow is low.
Opposing colors, as measured by the voltmeter analogy, signal the same things but in different ways.

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Description

This quiz explores the fascinating topics of corresponding angles, disparity, and color vision. Learn how our brains interpret wavelengths of light and the significance of primary and intermediate colors. Test your understanding of how we perceive colors and the science behind it.