What is Chromatic Color Theory?
Chromatic color theory states that an organism's ability to perceive different colors is based on the existence of separate physiologic channels for different wavelengths of light. Though a small percentage exhibits other forms, human color perception is primarily trichromatic, mediated by interactions among three types of color-sensing cone cells.
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Color Perception
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The perception of different colors is determined by two types of cells in the retina: rods and cones. Rods are highly sensitive to light and are primarily responsible for vision in low-light conditions, though they contribute little to the perception of color. Cones are less sensitive to light but are highly sensitive to color.
Cone Cells
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In support of chromatic color theory, certain types of cone cells respond only to certain wavelengths of light. In humans, color perception is generally determined by cone cells responding to three different wavelengths of light: short waves roughly correspond to the color blue, medium to the color green and long to the perception of the color red. A full range of color perception is enabled by varying levels of activity in these three types of cone cells.
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Other Forms of Color Perception
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Monochromacy is extremely rare in humans and involves either an absence of cones (no color perception) or only a single type. Multiple types of dichromacy exist in humans, each related to a different type of color blindness (i.e., an inability to distinguish between certain colors). Although a small percentage of the population exhibits cone cells responsive to four general wavelengths of visible light, it has yet to be determined if this corresponds to tetrachromatic color vision.
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References
- Photo Credit color image by Edvin selimovic from Fotolia.com
