Suppose we made the following modifications to a normal human perceiver while, as much as possible, keeping all else the same: We increase the sensitivity range of the relevant photoreceptors to allow for the transduction of both higher-frequencies and lower-frequencies of EM than normal, thus expanding the visible spectrum into the infrared and the ultraviolet. Which of the following is the most reasonable prediction about what it would be like to see the new colors?:
- The hue circle for modifieds would gain one new hue located between violet and red. Further, for modifieds, red would not look as similar to violet as it does to normals. Red would look more similar to the new hue than it does to violet.
- The hue circle for modifieds would gain two new hues, roughly corresponding to infrared and ultraviolet. Red and violet would look even more different than each other than in option (1), with two distinct hues separating them on the hue circle.
- Something else entirely.
i think there would only be more detail, like a brilliantly colored Monet painting. essentially, we're not much more than color blind to anything outside the spectrum.
ReplyDeleteNot any new colors?
ReplyDeleteMy tentative prediction based on your description is that the color solid would remain the same. I take it what you're imagining is just lengthening the tails of the sensitivity curves of the photo-receptors to include more wavelengths. In fact, I think that such a creature would possibly lose some visual acuity depending on how this was implemented. I take it that natural selection's preferred solution is to add a new photoreceptor type (e.g. the oil packet of the pigeon) for ultraviolets.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Franklin. That make sense.
ReplyDeleteAssuming something like the typical opponent process story, what, if anything, *would* suffice to add extra hues between red and violet?
Yeah, maybe different opponent operations somewhere or other. I think knowing the answer would suffice to explain much of color phenomenology, though.
ReplyDelete