title: A neural signature of the unique hues.
abstract: Since at least the 17thcentury there has been the idea that there are four simple and perceptually pure "unique" hues: red, yellow, green, and blue, and that all other hues are perceived as mixtures of these four hues. However, sustained scientific investigation has not yet provided solid evidence for a neural representation that separates the unique hues from other colors. We measured event-related potentials elicited from unique hues and the 'intermediate' hues in between them. We find a neural signature of the unique hues 230 ms after stimulus onset at a post-perceptual stage of visual processing. Specifically, the posterior P2 component over the parieto-occipital lobe peaked significantly earlier for the unique than for the intermediate hues (Z = -2.9, p = 0.004). Having identified a neural marker for unique hues, fundamental questions about the contribution of neural hardwiring, language and environment to the unique hues can now be addressed.
authors.affiliation: The Sussex Colour Group, University of Sussex, Falmer, BN1 9QH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lewis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Forder
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, BN1 9QH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bosten
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Centre, Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK.
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: The Sussex Colour Group, University of Sussex, Falmer, BN1 9QH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franklin