Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Large shifts in color appearance from patterned chromatic backgrounds.

Patrick Monnier1, Steven K Shevell

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, 940 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.

Nature Neuroscience
|July 23, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Patterned backgrounds significantly alter perceived light color more than uniform backgrounds. This color shift is explained by cortical receptive-field organization, not retinal factors.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Perceptual resolution of ambiguity: A divisive normalization account for both interocular color grouping and difference enhancement.

Journal of vision·2026
Same author

Perceptual Resolution of Ambiguity: Can Tuned, Divisive Normalization Account for both Interocular Similarity Grouping and Difference Enhancement.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

Ambiguity is a linking feature for interocular grouping.

Journal of vision·2022
Same author

Ambiguous chromatic neural representations: Perceptual resolution by grouping.

Current opinion in behavioral sciences·2022
Same author

Binocularly-driven competing neural responses and the perceptual resolution of color.

Journal of vision·2021
Same author

The Certainty of Ambiguity in Visual Neural Representations.

Annual review of vision science·2021

Area of Science:

  • Visual perception
  • Color science
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Perceived color is influenced by surrounding visual context.
  • Previous research indicates uniform backgrounds cause color shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how patterned backgrounds affect perceived color compared to uniform backgrounds.
  • To determine the underlying mechanisms responsible for observed color shifts.

Main Methods:

  • Presenting stimuli with patterned backgrounds of two chromaticities.
  • Comparing perceived color shifts against uniform backgrounds of single chromaticities.
  • Analyzing potential contributions of optical factors, retinal neurons, and cortical organization.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Patterned backgrounds induced larger shifts in perceived color than uniform backgrounds.
  • The magnitude of the color shift correlated with the chromatic contrast within the pattern.
  • Neither optical factors nor known retinal neurons fully explained the observed effects.

Conclusions:

  • Cortical receptive-field organization is the primary mechanism accounting for color shifts induced by patterned backgrounds.
  • Explains complex color perception beyond simple retinal processing.
  • Highlights the role of higher-level visual processing in color constancy.