The influence of chromatic adaptation upon successive colour discrimination

Colour differential thresholds have been measured for three reference colours (red, green and blue) under five adaptation conditions (red, green, blue, achromatic and darkness) by a process of successive presentation. The resulting discrimination ellipsoids have been analysed both in terms of chromaticity and luminance. An overall worsening of discrimination capacity occurs under red-adaptation conditions, while all the adaptation conditions produce alterations in discrimination capacity along specific lines in the CIE1931 chromaticity diagram. The results conform to an opponent-colour model for colour vision.