Category effects on colour discrimination
-
Christoph Witzel
Abstract
Categorical perception would provide a link between colour perception and colour language. We conducted an extensive series of studies on categorical perception of colour. We studied category effects on colour sensitivity, on the performance in a speeded discrimination task and on the subjective appearance of difference. One of the core contributions of our studies is the careful control of perceptual differences when investigating the interaction between perceptual and categorical information. In sum, only speeded discrimination with untrained participants yielded robust category effects. The comparison of the results from the different studies shows that category effects are not inherent to colour perception. Instead, we suggest that attention to the categorical distinction is at the root of the category effect.
Abstract
Categorical perception would provide a link between colour perception and colour language. We conducted an extensive series of studies on categorical perception of colour. We studied category effects on colour sensitivity, on the performance in a speeded discrimination task and on the subjective appearance of difference. One of the core contributions of our studies is the careful control of perceptual differences when investigating the interaction between perceptual and categorical information. In sum, only speeded discrimination with untrained participants yielded robust category effects. The comparison of the results from the different studies shows that category effects are not inherent to colour perception. Instead, we suggest that attention to the categorical distinction is at the root of the category effect.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
- Acknowledgements x
- Abbreviations xi
-
Prehistoric colour semantics
- Prehistoric colour semantics 3
-
Colour and Linguistics
- Preface to Section II 29
- Towards a historical and cultural atlas of colour terms in the Near East 31
- The evolution of GRUE 53
- Linguistic categorization of BLUE in Standard Italian 67
- From blood to worms 79
- The motivational analysis of some Finnic colour terms 93
- Her blue eyes are red 109
- The spread of RED in the Historical Thesaurus of English 126
- A metaphorical spectrum 140
- Exploring the metaphorical use of colour with the Historical Thesaurus of English 153
-
Colour categorization, naming and preference
- Preface to Section III 167
- The case for infant colour categories 169
- Bornstein’s paradox (redux) 181
- Category effects on colour discrimination 200
- Colour category effects 212
- Gender differences in colour naming 225
- Personality and gender-schemata contributions to colour preferences 240
- Axiological aspects of Polish colour vocabulary 258
- The metaphysical significance of colour categorization 273
-
Colour and the World
- Preface to Section IV 287
- Color seeing and speaking 291
- Colour terms in the names of coastal and inland features 307
- Referential meaning in basic and non-basic color terms 323
- Unfolding colour in mind and language 339
- Synaesthetic associations 352
- Bach to the blues 366
- “Miss Gartside’s immediate eye” 380
- Lighting up Shakespeare 397
- Index 413
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface ix
- Acknowledgements x
- Abbreviations xi
-
Prehistoric colour semantics
- Prehistoric colour semantics 3
-
Colour and Linguistics
- Preface to Section II 29
- Towards a historical and cultural atlas of colour terms in the Near East 31
- The evolution of GRUE 53
- Linguistic categorization of BLUE in Standard Italian 67
- From blood to worms 79
- The motivational analysis of some Finnic colour terms 93
- Her blue eyes are red 109
- The spread of RED in the Historical Thesaurus of English 126
- A metaphorical spectrum 140
- Exploring the metaphorical use of colour with the Historical Thesaurus of English 153
-
Colour categorization, naming and preference
- Preface to Section III 167
- The case for infant colour categories 169
- Bornstein’s paradox (redux) 181
- Category effects on colour discrimination 200
- Colour category effects 212
- Gender differences in colour naming 225
- Personality and gender-schemata contributions to colour preferences 240
- Axiological aspects of Polish colour vocabulary 258
- The metaphysical significance of colour categorization 273
-
Colour and the World
- Preface to Section IV 287
- Color seeing and speaking 291
- Colour terms in the names of coastal and inland features 307
- Referential meaning in basic and non-basic color terms 323
- Unfolding colour in mind and language 339
- Synaesthetic associations 352
- Bach to the blues 366
- “Miss Gartside’s immediate eye” 380
- Lighting up Shakespeare 397
- Index 413
