Color perception under chromatic adaptation: equilibrium yellow and long-wavelength adaptation

Observers viewed a thin (0.8-1.3) annulus composed of a mixture of 540 and 660 nm monochromatic lights (denoted delta G and delta R, respectively). The annular mixture was superimposed upon a larger (2.7) 660 nm circular background field. The observer adjusted the radiance of either delta G or delta R so that the annulus appeared a perfect (i.e. neither reddish nor greenish) yellow. In the first experiment, the background and annulus both were presented steadily. The results showed that the background, varied over a range from 10 to 1000 td. always contributed less to the color appearance of the annular test area than would be expected from the simple admixture of lights. The second experiment examined the effect of briefly removing the background-field quanta during the period when the annulus was judged. After several minutes of adapting to the background, the background was momentarily extinguished for 1 sec once every 6 sec; the observer adjusted the radiance of delta R so that during the 1 sec period the continuously presented annular mixture appeared equilibrium yellow. With steady backgrounds, the delta G to delta R luminance ratio decreased with test annulus luminance; for judgments made while the background momentarily was extinguished, the luminance ratio generally increased with annulus luminance. All of the empirical observations can be accounted for quantitatively by a two-process theory of chromatic adaptation; in two processes are (1) gain changes and (2) a restoring signal that tends to drive back toward equilibrium the opponent response resulting from the adapting light. Results from a third experiment, in which the background-off interval was reduced from 1 sec to 500, 200 or 150 msec. also are consistent with this model.