colour perception

additive colour mixing

colour system that starts with dark (typically “black”) and that creates a wider range of colours by adding light (i.e., by adding specific wavelengths to the “black” light spectrum). Additive colour mixing is used by your computer monitor.

colour blindness

A condition in which a person perceives no chromatic colour. This can be caused by absent or malfunctioning cone receptors or by cortical damage.

colour deficiency

People with this condition (sometimes incorrectly called colour blindness) see fewer colours than people with normal colour vision.

Deuteranopia

A form of red-green colour dichromatism caused by lack of the middle wavelength cone pigment.

Dichromat

A person who has a form of colour deficiency due to the absence of one cone receptor type. Deuteranopes, protanopes, and tritanopes are all dichromates.

Monochromat

A person who is completely colour-blind and therefore sees everything as black, white, or shades of grey. Monochromats generally have only one type of functioning receptors, usually rods.

monochromatic light

light that contains a single wavelength

Munsell colour system

a colour space that specifies colours based on three colour dimensions; hue, value(lightness) and chroma(colour purity)

opponent theory

A theory of colour vision that is based on the premise that there are three opponent channels (black-white, red-green, and blue-yellow) subserving colour vision.

protanopia

a form of red-green dichromatism caused by a lack of the long-wavelength cone pigment

subtractive colour mixing

A colour system that starts with light (typically “white”) and that creates a wider range of colours by adding pigments (i.e., by subtracting specific wavelengths from the “white” light spectrum). Subtractive colour mixing occurs when you are mixing paint.

Trichromat

a person with normal colour vision

Trichromatic theory

a theory of colour that is based on the premise that there are three classes of receptors (L,M, AND S cones) subserving colour vision

Trianopia

a form of dichromatism thought to be caused by a lack of the short-wavelength cone pigment