Abstract
The McCollough effect is an orientation-specific color aftereffect induced by adapting to colored gratings. We examined how the McCollough effect depends on the relationships between color and luminance within the inducing and test gratings and compared the aftereffects to the color changes predicted from selective adaptation to different color—luminance combinations. Our results suggest that the important contingency underlying the McCollough effect is between orientation and color—luminance direction and are consistent with sensitivity changes within mechanisms tuned to specific color—luminance directions. Aftereffects are similar in magnitude for adapting color pairs that differ only in S cone excitation or L and M cone excitation, and they have a similar dependence on spatial frequency. In particular, orientation-specific aftereffects are induced for S cone colors even when the grating frequencies are above the S cone resolution limit. Thus, the McCollough effect persists even when different cone classes encode the orientation and color of the gratings.
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This research was supported by N1H Grant EY10834. The authors thank J. D. Mollon for discussions and Celeste McCollough Howard, Charles F. Stromeyer III, and Osvaldo Da Pos for very helpful comments on the manuscript.
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Webster, M.A., Malkoc, G. Color—luminance relationships and the McCollough effect. Perception & Psychophysics 62, 659–672 (2000). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206913
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206913