The photopigment bleaching hypothesis of complementary after-images: A psychophysical test

Normal observers color-adapted simultaneously to two spatially distinct sequences of light stimulation, equivalent in their bleaching effects but complementary to one another in hue. Following the adapting period, observers reported on the color appearance of the two adjacent after-images seen against a neutral background. The nonequivalence of the two after-images argues against the explanation of complementary after-images based on photopigment bleaching; in addition, the fact that the two after-images are mutually complementary further restricts the class of (neural) adaptation hypotheses.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34030/1/0000307.pd