title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, England. e.ozgen@surrey.ac.uk
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozgen
authors.forename: Ian R L
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003118:Color Perception; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D012660:Semantics; D014706:Verbal Learning