A Bayesian Model of the Memory Colour Effect

Witzel, Christoph; Olkkonen, Maria; Gegenfurtner, Karl R.

Abstract

According to the memory colour effect, the colour of a colour-diagnostic object is not perceived independently of the object itself. Instead, it has been shown through an achromatic adjustment method that colour-diagnostic objects still appear slightly in their typical colour, even when they are colourimetrically grey. Bayesian models provide a promising approach to capture the effect of prior knowledge on colour perception and to link these effects to more general effects of cue integration. Here, we model memory colour effects using prior knowledge about typical colours as priors for the grey adjustments in a Bayesian model. This simple model does not involve any fitting of free parameters. The Bayesian model roughly captured the magnitude of the measured memory colour effect for photographs of objects. To some extent, the model predicted observed differences in memory colour effects across objects. The model could not account for the differences in memory colour effects across different levels of realism in the object images. The Bayesian model provides a particularly simple account of memory colour effects, capturing some of the multiple sources of variation of these effects.

Citation

Witzel, C., Olkkonen, M., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2018). A Bayesian Model of the Memory Colour Effect. i-Perception, 9(3), Article 204166951877171. https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669518771715

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 28, 2018
• Online Publication Date: May 7, 2018
• Publication Date: May 7, 2018
• Deposit Date: May 24, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: May 24, 2018
• Journal: i-Perception
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-6695
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 3
• Article Number: 204166951877171
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669518771715
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1330317