Detection of red and green flashes: evidence for cancellation and facilitation

Green and red flashes of light will differentially stimulate the middle- and long-wavelength sensitive cones. Interaction of cone signals was studied by measuring increment thresholds for combinations of green and red flashes on a yellow adapting field. When the yellow adapting field was at 10.000 trolands (td), green and red incremental flashes (1 degree, 200-msec duration) produced cancellation when presented simultaneously and facilitation when presented sequentially. A green incremental flash (1.15 degrees, 200 msec, 5000-td adaptation field) and red decremental flash, or vice versa, produced facilitation when presented simultaneously. The results can be explained by color-differencing, opponent-mechanisms. The cancellation effect for the simultaneous incremental flashes largely disappeared when the flashes were exposed briefly (10 msec) or reduced in size (0.04 degrees). It is unlikely that the stimuli were exclusively detected by achromatic, luminance channels, as suggested by previous work, since observers could partially distinguish the hue of threshold flashes of 570- and 590-nm light (0.04 degrees, 10 msec) on a bright yellow field.