Acquisition of categorical color perception: A perceptual learning approach to the linguistic relativity hypothesis.

Abstract

Color perception can be categorical: Between-category discriminations are more accurate than equivalent within-category discriminations. The effects could be inherited, learned, or both. The authors provide evidence that supports the possibility of learned categorical perception (CP). Experiment 1 demonstrated that observers' color discrimination is flexible and improves through repeated practice. Experiment 2 demonstrated that category learning simulates effects of "natural" color categories on color discrimination. Experiment 3 investigated the time course of acquired CP. Experiment 4 found that CP effects are acquired through hue- and lightness-based category learning and obtained interesting data on the dimensional perception of color. The data are consistent with the possibility that language may shape color perception and suggest a plausible mechanism for the linguistic relativity hypothesis.

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4. Categorical perception
   Goldstone, Robert L., Hendrickson, Andrew T. · 2010 · WIREs Cognitive Science
5. Reading chimpanzee faces: Evidence for the role of verbal labels in categorical perception of emotion.
   Fugate, Jennifer M. B., Gouzoules, Harold, Barrett, Lisa Feldman · 2010 · Emotion

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