Colour perception in a dichromat
(2007) In Journal of Experimental Biology 210(16). p.2795-2800- Abstract
- Most mammals have dichromatic colour vision based on
two different types of cones: a short-wavelength-sensitive
cone and a long-wavelength-sensitive cone. Comparing the
signal from two cone types gives rise to a one-dimensional
chromatic space when brightness is excluded. The so-called
‘neutral point’ refers to the wavelength that the animal
cannot distinguish from achromatic light such as white or
grey because it stimulates both cone types equally. The
question is: how do dichromats perceive their chromatic
space? Do they experience a continuous scale of colours or
does the neutral point divide their chromatic space into two colour categories, i.e.... (More) - Most mammals have dichromatic colour vision based on
two different types of cones: a short-wavelength-sensitive
cone and a long-wavelength-sensitive cone. Comparing the
signal from two cone types gives rise to a one-dimensional
chromatic space when brightness is excluded. The so-called
‘neutral point’ refers to the wavelength that the animal
cannot distinguish from achromatic light such as white or
grey because it stimulates both cone types equally. The
question is: how do dichromats perceive their chromatic
space? Do they experience a continuous scale of colours or
does the neutral point divide their chromatic space into two colour categories, i.e. into colours of either short or long wavelengths?
We trained horses to different colour combinations in a
two-choice behavioural experiment and tested their
responses to the training and test colours. The horses chose
colours according to their similarity/relationship to
rewarded and unrewarded training colours. There was no
evidence for a categorical boundary at the neutral point or
elsewhere.
This study suggests that dichromats perceive their
chromatic space as a continuous scale of colours, treating
the colour at the neutral point as any other colour they can distinguish. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/629111
- author
- Roth, Lina LU ; Balkenius, Anna LU and Kelber, Almut LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2007
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- chromatic space., colour vision, horse, mammal, dichromat
- in
- Journal of Experimental Biology
- volume
- 210
- issue
- 16
- pages
- 2795 - 2800
- publisher
- The Company of Biologists Ltd
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000249517200008
- scopus:34548639250
- ISSN
- 1477-9145
- DOI
- 10.1242/jeb.007377
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 51764be5-f8a9-49c2-93cf-ff58296666fe (old id 629111)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:05:25
- date last changed
- 2022-03-28 20:07:09
@article{51764be5-f8a9-49c2-93cf-ff58296666fe,
abstract = {{Most mammals have dichromatic colour vision based on<br/><br>
two different types of cones: a short-wavelength-sensitive<br/><br>
cone and a long-wavelength-sensitive cone. Comparing the<br/><br>
signal from two cone types gives rise to a one-dimensional<br/><br>
chromatic space when brightness is excluded. The so-called<br/><br>
‘neutral point’ refers to the wavelength that the animal<br/><br>
cannot distinguish from achromatic light such as white or<br/><br>
grey because it stimulates both cone types equally. The<br/><br>
question is: how do dichromats perceive their chromatic<br/><br>
space? Do they experience a continuous scale of colours or<br/><br>
does the neutral point divide their chromatic space into two colour categories, i.e. into colours of either short or long wavelengths?<br/><br>
We trained horses to different colour combinations in a<br/><br>
two-choice behavioural experiment and tested their<br/><br>
responses to the training and test colours. The horses chose<br/><br>
colours according to their similarity/relationship to<br/><br>
rewarded and unrewarded training colours. There was no<br/><br>
evidence for a categorical boundary at the neutral point or<br/><br>
elsewhere.<br/><br>
This study suggests that dichromats perceive their<br/><br>
chromatic space as a continuous scale of colours, treating<br/><br>
the colour at the neutral point as any other colour they can distinguish.}},
author = {{Roth, Lina and Balkenius, Anna and Kelber, Almut}},
issn = {{1477-9145}},
keywords = {{chromatic space.; colour vision; horse; mammal; dichromat}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{16}},
pages = {{2795--2800}},
publisher = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
series = {{Journal of Experimental Biology}},
title = {{Colour perception in a dichromat}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.007377}},
doi = {{10.1242/jeb.007377}},
volume = {{210}},
year = {{2007}},
}