Abstract

The human colour visual system is thought to be optimised in various ways for extracting colour information from natural environments. Tuning of the visual system to the information contained in natural scenes occurs over both short and long timescales, from short term adaptation to a change in the colour of illumination over a few seconds, to evolution of the spectral positioning of the sensitivities of the cones over millions of years.

Processes of adaptation or calibration are also thought to occur in the medium term, where the visual systems of different individuals learn to represent colour differently depending on the colour information content of natural scenes they encounter, or in response to internal changes such as the yellowing of the lens with age.

During this talk, Dr Bosten will discuss her current work that aims to investigate the scope and nature of these within-lifetime calibrative processes, using a variety of methods including individual differences, developmental psychophysics, altered reality and cross-cultural studies. 

Biography

Jenny Bosten is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex. She researches human visual perception and particularly colour perception, using methods including psychophysics, individual differences, genetics and EEG. She is currently part of an ERC-funded project investigating the influence of natural environments on colour perception. She also has research interests in colour vision deficiency, and in using virtual reality as a tool for optometric assessment in patients with eye disease. 

https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p348308-jenny-bosten