Color Perception

Color vision is defined as the ability to discriminate differences in the wavelengths of light. Yet, like all vision, the perception of color is ultimately not about seeing wavelength or light but about seeing the objects that light illuminates. Color provides powerful cues to object recognition. For example, it can help reveal what sort of surface we are viewing (e.g., leaf or bark) and the particular state that the material is in (e.g., dry or lush foliage, ripe or unripe fruit, or a pallid or glowing complexion). To make these judgments, the color percept must be tied to properties of the object (how it reflects light) rather than simply to the light reaching the eye (which can change as the illumination changes). The strategies and ...