The detection of various color combinations under different chromatic ambient illuminations

Our purpose was to reveal the effects of ambient illumination color and various foreground/background color pairings on a choice reaction time task performed on a color CRT. Six men and two women with normal color vision served as observers in a four-alternative forced choice procedure. A small (18' visual angle) colored circle appeared in the center of one of the unmarked quadrants of the screen. The observer's task was to respond as quickly as possible to this target by pressing one of four buttons corresponding to its location. We found that target colors that were opponent to the background colors were most quickly detected. Detection was enhanced by maximizing both brightness and chromatic contrast, but brightness contrast was much more effective. Chromatic ambient lighting which was a log unit dimmer than the target luminance had no effect on performance.