There are two major theories that explain and guide research on colour vision: the trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory.These two theories are complementary and explain processes that operate at different levels of the visual system.While other theories of color vision explain how color is processed by the eye, opponent-process theory explains how it is processed by the brain.
Developed by Ewald Hering(1920/1964), the opponent-process theory states that the cone photoreceptors are linked together to form three opposing colour pairs: blue/yellow, red/green, and black/white. Activation of one member of the pair inhibits activity in the other. In fact, as you have seen, both theories are needed to explain what is known about colour vision. The trichromatic theory explains colour vision phenomena at the photoreceptor level; the opponent-process theory explains colour vision phenomena that result from the way in which photoreceptors are interconnected neurally. Although the Opponent-Process theory provides a reasonably good explanation of color vision phenomena, it remains a theory with room for further understanding. Two earlier theories are worth noting, the Component Theory and the Opponent Theory.  There are two major theories that explain and guide research on colour vision: the trichromatic theory also known as the Young-Helmholtz theory, and the opponent-process theory. These two theories are complementary and explain processes that operate at different levels of the visual system. Trichromatic Theory. In fact, as you have seen, both theories are needed to explain what is known about colour vision. The trichromatic theory explains colour vision phenomena at the photoreceptor level; the opponent-process theory explains colour vision phenomena that result from the way in which photoreceptors are interconnected neurally. While other theories of color vision explain how color is processed by the eye, opponent-process theory explains how it is processed by the brain. Once information about color is detected by the retina or membrane in the back of the eye, that information is sent to an area of the brain called the thalamus. Opponent-process theory was first proposed by Ewald Hering in 1874 and states that we perceive color in terms of opposite ends of the spectrum, specifically red to green, yellow to blue, and white to black. Main article: Opponent process. The opponent-process theory was first developed by Ewald Hering. He noted that there are color combinations that we never see, such as reddish-green or yellowish-blue. Opponent-process theory suggests that color perception is controlled by the activity of three opponent systems. (June 2013). Opponent-process theory is a psychological and neurological model that accounts for a wide range of behaviors, including color vision. This model was first proposed in 1878 by Ewald Hering, a German physiologist, and later expanded by Richard Solomon, a 20th-century psychologist. While the trichromatic theory defines the way the retina of the eye allows the visual system to detect color with three types of cones, the opponent process theory accounts for mechanisms that receive and process information from cones. Ewald Hering proposed opponent color theory in 1892. He thought that the colors red, yellow, green, and blue are special in that any other color can be described as a mix of them, and that they exist in opposite pairs. The color opponent process is a color theory that states that the human visual system interprets information about color by processing signals from cones and rods in an antagonistic manner. Ewald Hering proposed opponent color theory in 1892. He thought that the colors red, yellow, green, and blue are special in that any other color can be described as a mix of them, and that they exist in opposite pairs. The second, opponent-process theory, is based on the idea that the visual system is responsive to three color pairs (green-red, blue-yellow, and black-white) and that color vision is due to the combined differential response of these three different components.  Based on the existence of color afterimages, Ewald Hering proposed the opponent process theory of color vision in 1878. He suggested that color vision occurred in three channels where opposite colors (called complementary colors) are in a form of competition. So there is some truth to the three-color theory. However, other aspects of color vision cannot be accounted for by the trichromatic theory. For example, there is the phenomenon of color afterimages. If you stare at a red dot, then move your gaze to a white wall, you will see a green dot as an afterimage. Lesson Summary: Opponent-process theory was first proposed by Ewald Hering in 1874 and states that we perceive color in terms of opposite ends of the spectrum, specifically red to green, yellow to blue, and white to black.
http://psych.ucalgary.ca/PACE/VA-Lab/colourperceptionweb/theories.htm http://www.spencerlab.com/learn/color/theory.asp http://psych.ucalgary.ca/PACE/VA-Lab/colourperceptionweb/theories.htm http://study.com/academy/lesson/opponent-process-theory-lesson-quiz.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opponent-process_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opponent_process https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opponent_process http://web.mst.edu/~rhall/web_design/color_perception.html http://www.intropsych.com/ch04_senses/theories_of_color_vision.html http://study.com/academy/lesson/opponent-process-theory-lesson-quiz.html
the opponent process theory of color vision