PSYCH 1XX3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4.2: Opponent Process, Color Vision, Contrast Effect
Document Summary
The processing of colour starts with the retina where there are three types of cones that detect red, blue and green wavelengths of light. The property of cones to detect three wavelengths is referred to as trichromatic. The wavelength of light that an object reflects determines what colour it is. Colour constancy is a property of light which corrects variation in overall illumination such that object(cid:8217)s colour seem relatively the same in different lighting environments. Additive colour mixing is the overlapping of red, blue and green colours. This will produce a new colour with intermediate wavelength; will also produce white light when all are combined together. Subtractive colour mixing occurs when combining pigments of colours together. Pigments will reflect particular wavelengths and absorb the rest. If all three colour pigments are mixed, then all wavelengths are subtracted resulting in a black colour. Young proposed that there are three colour receptors which are sensitive to different wavelength of light.