Color

Vision

Electromagnetic Waves

Wavelength: distance from peak to peak of a wave

Electromagnetic Waves

Visual Spectrum: electromagnetic waves we can see (light).

Wavelengths range from 400 to 700 nanometers (nm).

Amount of Sunlight

All Sunlight is not Equal

400

500

600

700

Wavelength (nm)
wavelengths in sunlight that are most intense lie between ~480 and ~560 nm

Photoreceptors Absorb at Different

Wavelengths

Blue cones absorb at the shortest wavelengths (S-cones)

Green cones absorb at medium wavelenghs (M-cones)
Red cones absorb at the longest wavelengths (L-cones)
Rods also absorb green light but do not transmit information about
wavelength to the brain. They are ~100x more sensitive than
cones.

Normalized Absorbance (% activity)

Why do we see more than 3 colors?

Cyan =
15% Blue Photocreceptors active
50% Red photoreceptors active
75% Green photoreceptors active

Amount of Light

What happens in low light?

Normal Light

Low Light

Fewer of the wavelengths are in the reds and blues

Fewer cones are activated loss of color vision
Rods can still sense low light and remain active (100x
more sensitive)

Why are rods more sensitive than

cones?

Pigments absorb only certain wavelengths of light

and reflect all the others.
The above pigment will appear blue because green
and red light is absorbed and blue light is reflected.
Rods have more pigment than cones, making
them 100x more sensitive. A rod can be activated

Rods

Scoptic Vision occurs when light intensities are bright enough to

stimulate the rod receptors but too dim to stimulate the cone
receptors.
This shows that color is not a physical property but psychophysical: all
of the pigments are there of course, we just dont see them.
Rods also suffer from univariance, meaning they cannot detect
differences in color.

Cones

Photoptic Vision occurs when light intensities are bright enough to

stimulate the cone receptors but saturate the rod receptors so they
dont contribute to perception.
Saturated means that as it gets brighter, you dont get more response
from rods.

Theres more than one way to make a

color
Colors can be mixed
for form different
colors.

Theres more than one way to make a

color

Yellow = red +
green
Metamers: when the brain
cannot tell the difference
between a pure wavelength (ex:
yellow) or a combination of two or
more other collors (ex: red +
blue)

Additive Color Mixing

Combine different wavelengths of light to make new colors

Trichromatic (3-color) projectors, TVs, and computer screens all
use additive color mixing.

Subtractive Color Mixing

Subtractive color mixing uses
pigments or filters that block
certain wavelengths to produce
color.
This is why yellow + blue paint
= green, but yellow + blue
light = white

Stroop Effect

CYAN
BLUE
GREE
RED
ORAN
YELL
PURP
N
GE
OW
LE

Speed of Processing Theory: Your brain is faster at processing

words than it is at perceiving colors
Selective Attention Theory: Naming colors demands more
attention than reading words
Try it yourself!
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/ready.html