title: Asymmetries in the time-course of chromatic adaptation and the significance of contrast.
abstract: The time-course of chromatic adaptation was determined as a function of the spectral content of the adaptation-light and of image-contrast. The adaptation-lights varied along the chromatic cardinal axes or one of their intermediate axes in an equiluminant plane in colour-space. We found an asymmetry in the initial time-course of adaptation (0.2-10 s) in that adaptation to middle-wavelength light was significantly faster than adaptation to short- and long-wavelength light. The asymmetry was only observed in the presence of a spatially complex pattern. It was fully supported by luminance and chromatic contrast and present under haploscopic stimulus conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry and Radiography, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. amcwerner@compuserv.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zrenner
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011601:Psychophysics