Compare and contrast trichromatic theory and opponent-process theory
The Opponent Process Theory of Vision and the Trichromatic Theory of Vision Both ideas describe how colour is seen and are widely accepted. The distinction is in what aspect of eyesight you are portraying. Understanding the differences will assist you in comprehending how there are two theories, both of which are accurate.
The trichromatic theory
In 1801, Doctor Thomas Young suggested the trichromatic theory. According to the idea, the eye may receive light through three colour scheme sensors distributed along with the interior layer of the eye (the retina.)
Other researchers later discovered that these receptors were components of the cells referred to as cones. Cones are responsive to 3 distinct light wavelengths: red, green, and blue. When light reaches the eye and strikes the retina, cones receptive to a particular colour convey a signal to the brain. The brain detects white when all three impulses are received. If just one sort of cone’s signal is received, the associated colour is visible. Other colours are made up of mixtures of the three prominent hues. This hypothesis explains how colour may be experienced by the functioning of cells in the eye, but it does not address how the brain translates these signals.
The opponent-process theory
In 1892, Ewald Hering suggested the opponent-process theory. According to his idea, the fundamental hues the nervous system could sense were red, yellow, green, and blue. He also stated that they were believed to be diametrically opposed to one another. This indicates that the brain can detect red or green, but not both at the exact moment. This idea also explains colour’s lingering effects. After the effects occur, when one signal is powerfully delivered against another (for example, red over green) and then removed. As a result, the contrasting hue becomes more visible (Niall, 1988).
How colour vision is acquired
Both theories address how colour vision is acquired but are not the same. What distinguishes these two theories is the location of the process. According to the Trichromatic theory of vision, the operation occurs at the cellular level within the eye. According to the Opponent Process Theory of Vision, the operation occurs in the brain. However, both are right because they represent how the process operates on two distinct levels.
The hypotheses have also been tested in various ways
Helmholtz put the Trichromatic Theory to the test in a colour-matching investigation. Subjects would try to match a hue by varying the quantities of the three light wavelengths. It was revealed that if the participants only utilized two wavelengths, it was difficult to match the colours, but if they employed three wavelengths, they could match any colour. Afterimages were used to test the Opponent Process Theory. A green afterimage would be visible if a participant stared at a red square for around a minute and then looked at a white surface (Wright, 1949).
Check the following reference articles to learn more about the Trichromatic theory and opponent-process theory
- Niall, K. K. (1988). On the trichromatic and opponent-process theories: An article by E. Schrödinger. Spatial Vision, 3(2), 79-95.
- Wright, W. D. (1949). The present status of the trichromatic theory. Documenta Ophthalmologica, 3(1), 10-23.
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