Forder, Lewis, Bosten, Jenny, He, Xun and Franklin, Anna (2017) A neural signature of the unique hues. Scientific Reports, 7. a42364. ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

Since at least the 17th century there has been the idea that there are four simple and perceptually pure “unique” hues: red, yellow, green, and blue, and that all other hues are perceived as mixtures of these four hues. However, sustained scientific investigation has not yet provided solid evidence for a neural representation that separates the unique hues from other colors. We measured event-related potentials elicited from unique hues and the ‘intermediate’ hues in between them. We find a neural signature of the unique hues 230 ms after stimulus onset at a post-perceptual stage of visual processing. Specifically, the posterior P2 component over the parieto-occipital lobe peaked significantly earlier for the unique than for the intermediate hues (Z = -2.9, p = .004). Having identified a neural marker for unique hues, fundamental questions about the contribution of neural hardwiring, language and environment to the unique hues can now be addressed.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Psychology > Psychology
Depositing User:	Ellena Adams
Date Deposited:	20 Jan 2017 13:12
Last Modified:	11 Sep 2017 10:30
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/66363

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