Abstract

Center-surround stimuli evoke color appearances resembling surface colors which cannot be produced by a single homogeneous spot of light alone (e.g. brown, grey). Although this seems of great impact to a general theory of color (incl. color constancy), the psychophysics of these ‘minimal relational stimuli’ is still less well understood than often assumed. On the basis of empirical as well as theoretical observations concerning center-surround-type stimuli we introduce a relational model of color coding. The proposed model takes into account results on “discounting the background” mechanisms by Whittle, Walraven and Shevell and it is closely related to ratio-based relational concepts (Wallach, Land) and certain opponent color theories. Comprising the Young-Helmholtz, respectively Grassmann theory of color vision as a special case, this model provides an analogue to the classical distinction between light and object colors as well.

© 1992 Optical Society of America