Two ambiguous figures (Mach's book-figure and the AMBEGUJAS phenomenon) have been studied. They show colour shifts synchronised with the shifts of their alternative phases. The perceived concave phase appeared to have chromatic surface colour, but the perceived convex phase can appear to be in coloured illumination and shadow (film colour). The two perceived reversible shapes of the Mach figure (the book and the tent) and the three perceived alternative shapes of the Mondrians used in the AMBEGUJAS phenomenon (a roof, a ceiling, and a tile) all can appear to have chromatic surface colours in their concave phases but appear to have coloured illumination and shadow in their convex phases.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdelsonE HPentlandA P, 1990“The perception of shading and reflectance”Vision and Modeling Technical Report No. 140 (Cambridge, MA: MIT Media Laboratory)
2.
BergströmS S, 1977“Common and relative components of reflected light as information about the illumination, colour, and three-dimensional form of objects”Scandinavian Journal of Psychology18180–186
3.
BergströmS S, 1994a“Color constancy: Arguments for a vector model for the perception of illumination, color, and depth”, chapter in Lightness, Brightness, and Transparency Ed. GilchristA L (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates)
4.
BergströmS S, 1994b“Can the Johansson vector analysis be applied to the perception of illumination, color and depth?”, contribution 17 in Perceiving Events and Objects Ed. JanssonGBergströmS SEpsteinW (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates) pp 347–356
5.
BergströmS S, 2004“The AMBEGUJAS phenomenon and colour constancy”Perception33831–835
6.
BergströmS S, 2007“An explanation of the AMBEGUJAS phenomenon?”Perception36Supplement, 189–190 (abstract)
7.
BlojM GKerstenDHurlbertA C, 1999“Perception of three-dimensional shape influences colour perception through mutual illumination”Nature402877–879
8.
BlojM GHurlbertA C, 2002“An empirical study of the traditional Mach card effect”Perception31233–246
9.
BrewsterD, 1826“On the optical illusion of the conversion of cameos into intaglios and of intaglios into cameos with an account of other analogous phenomena”Edinburgh Journal of Science499–108
10.
ConnorC E, 2001“Visual perception: Sunny side up”Current Biology11R776–R778
11.
Da PosOBergströmS SCemuschiC, 2003“Desaturation of the perceived illumination in the ambegujas display”, in The Colour Group of Thailand Ed. HansuebsaiA (Bangkok: AIC) pp 265–269
12.
GilchristA L, 1994“Absolute versus relative theories of lightness perception”, chapter 1 in Lightness, Brightness, and Transparency Ed. GilchristA L (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates) pp 28–31
13.
GilchristA LRadonjićARamachandranV, 2007“Does simultaneous lightness contrast depend on physical or perceived intensity of the background?”Perception36Supplement, 54 (abstract)
14.
GregoryR I, 1970The Intelligent Eye (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson)
15.
HerschbergerW, 1970“Attached shadow orientation perceived as depth by chickens reared in an environment illuminated from below”Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology73407–411
16.
HowardIBergströmS SOhmiM, 1990“Shape from shading in different frames of reference”Perception19523–530
17.
Ishihara Test for Colour Blindness (1984) 38 plates edition (Tokyo: Kanehara)
18.
JakobssonTBergströmS SGustafssonK-AFedorovskayaE, 1997“Ambiguities in colour constancy and shape from shading”Perception26531–541
19.
JohanssonG, 1950Configurations in Event Perception (Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell)
20.
KatzD, 1935The World of Colour (London: Kegan Paul)
21.
LogvinenkoAMenshikovaG, 1994“Trade-off between achromatic colour and perceived illumination as revealed by the use of pseuodoscopic inversion of apparent depth”Perception231007–1023
22.
MachE, 1886/1959The Analysis of Sensations (New York: Dover, 1959)
23.
RittenhouseD, 1786“Explanation of an optical deception”Transactions of the American Philosophical Society237–43
24.
Swedish Standard SS 01 91 02Natural Colour System (NCS) Colour Atlas (Stockholm: Swedish Standard Institution, SIS)
