Seeing “the Dress” in the Right Light: Perceived Colors and Inferred Light Sources

In the well-known “dress” photograph, people either see the dress as blue with black stripes or as white with golden stripes. We suggest that the perception of colors is guided by the scene interpretation and the inferred positions of light sources. We tested this hypothesis in two online studies using color matching to estimate the colors observers see, while controlling for individual differences in gray point bias and color discrimination. Study 1 demonstrates that the interpretation of the dress corresponds to differences in perceived colors. Moreover, people who perceive the dress as blue-and-black are two times more likely to consider the light source as frontal, than those who see the white-and-gold dress. The inferred light sources, in turn, depend on the circadian changes in ambient light. The interpretation of the scene background as a wall or a mirror is consistent with the perceived colors as well. Study 2 shows that matching provides reliable results on differing devices and replicates the findings on scene interpretation and light sources. Additionally, we show that participants’ environmental lighting conditions are an important cue for perceiving the dress colors. The exact mechanisms of how environmental lighting and circadian changes influence the perceived colors of the dress deserve further investigation.