Asked by Steph Miller on Jun 07, 2024

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Define and differentiate trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory. Which theory most easily explains negative color afterimages?

Trichromatic Theory

A theory of color vision stating that the human eye has three types of receptors with differing sensitivities to different light wavelengths, corresponding to red, green, and blue.

Opponent-Process Theory

A theory primarily applied in vision and color perception, proposing that the human visual system interprets color in an antagonistic way, through pairs of opposite colors.

Negative Color Afterimages

Visual illusions where an image continues to appear in one's vision after the exposure to the original image has ceased, often in a complementary color scheme.

  • Comprehend the fundamental concepts of color perception and its theoretical frameworks.
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JL
Jacob LiaromatisJun 10, 2024
Final Answer :
Trichromatic theory claims that our receptors respond to three primary colors, or color vision depends on the relative rate of response by three types of cones. One type is most sensitive to short wavelengths (blue), another to medium wavelengths (green), and another to long wavelengths (red). Each wavelength prompts varying levels of activity in the three types of cones. The opponent-process theory of color vision claims that we perceive color not in terms of independent colors but in terms of a system of paired opposites--red versus green, yellow versus blue, and white versus black. The theory states that cells maintain a spontaneous rate of activity when unstimulated, increase their activity in the presence of, say, green, and decrease it in the presence of red. After prolonged green stimulation fatigues them, they become less active than usual, that is, they respond as if in the presence of red. Similarly, other cells would be excited by red and inhibited by green, excited by yellow and inhibited by blue, and so forth. The opponent process theory better explains negative color afterimages. If you stare for a minute or so at something red and look away, you see a green afterimage. If you stare at something green, yellow, or blue, you see a red, blue, or yellow afterimage. The trichromatic theory provides no easy explanation for these afterimages.