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Hue opponency: A constraint on colour categorization known from experience and experiment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2019

John S. Werner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0345 jwerner@clipr.colorado.edupsych-www.colorado.edu/faculty/werner.html
Michelle L. Bieber
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0345 jwerner@clipr.colorado.edupsych-www.colorado.edu/faculty/werner.html

Abstract

The terms red, green, yellow, and blue are both necessary and sufficient to describe our chromatic experience. Their uniqueness and opponent nature is supported by evidence obtained under supra- threshold conditions, especially hue cancellation. These constraints are nontrivial. How some electrophysiologically identified mechanisms contribute to colour appearance is not known, but their complexities do not refute our experience of elemental hues.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
1997 Cambridge University Press

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