Interactions between pattern and color in the visual system: Temporal aspects of the McCollough Effect

Abstract

The perception of the color of a surface can be influenced by many factors including its material properties and the composition of the illuminant. McCollough demonstrated that sensory conditioning could also influence the perception of surface color by inducing a long-lasting pattern specific color aftereffect. This effect has been extensively studied since its original report and a number of increasingly complex explanations have been proposed. In this article I examine the temporal properties of a simple learning model of the McCollough effect (ME). This model has previously been used to account for quantitative data sets obtained from a series of monocular and binocular variants of the ME. The model replicates the acquisition and decay of the ME, pre- and post-induction interference effects, and can also simulate the effects of various cholinergic and anticholinergic drugs that have been shown to influence ME induction and decay.