Color: Constancy And Inconstancy

Abstract

Color perception is not a passive process. The visual system does not operate like a physical recording device that records and “reproduces” a faithful rendition of the physical world. Rather, the purpose of the visual system is to extract information from the physical world and to create an internal representation. The purpose of this representation is to enable us to locate objects in and navigate around our environment. This view of vision as a non-passive or cognitive process can explain the many so-called illusions that can be created.