Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color
Published on: February 20, 2014
Neurophysiological evidence for categorical perception of color
Amanda Holmes1, Anna Franklin, Alexandra Clifford
1School of Human and Life Sciences, Roehampton University, Whitelands College, Holybourne Avenue, West Hill, London SW154JD, UK. a.holmes@roehampton.ac.uk
Abstract:
The aim of this investigation was to examine the time course and the relative contributions of perceptual and post-perceptual processes to categorical perception (CP) of color. A visual oddball task was used with standard and deviant stimuli from same (within-category) or different (between-category) categories, with chromatic separations for within- and between-category stimuli equated in Munsell Hue. CP was found on a behavioral version of the task, with faster RTs and greater accuracy for between- compared to within-category stimuli. On a neurophysiological version of the task, event-related potentials (ERPs) showed earlier latencies for P1 and N1 components at posterior locations to between- relative to within-category deviants, providing novel evidence for early perceptual processes on color CP. Enhanced P2 and P3 waves were also found for between- compared to within-category stimuli, indicating a role for later post-perceptual processes.
Related Concept Videos
Color Vision
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
Vision
Anatomy of the Eyeball
Gestalt Principles of Perception
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

