Abstract
A unified account of the Π1 and Π3 color mechanisms of Stiles is proposed. We hypothesize that under the conditions that isolate these branches of the two-color threshold a signal originating with the photon absorptions of the short-wavelength cones passes through two sites of attenuation. The first site's gain is controlled by the short-wavelength cones alone; the second site's gain is determined by a net "blue/yellow" opponent signal. The two sites are distinguished by spectral sensitivity, absolute field sensitivity and dynamic properties. The theory, formalized in four equations, provides a good account of these features of the increment thresholds: (1) super-additivity of the effects of Π1-equated long- and short-wavelength fields; (2) upward deviation of the Π1 threshold from the Weber line on bright blue backgrounds; (3) cancellative subadditivity of fields whose mixture is in approximate blue/yellow equilibrium: (4) the "limited conditioning effect" of long-wavelength fields; (5) transient "tritanopia".
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 293-312 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Vision Research |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1979 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology
- Sensory Systems