Linguistic and Perceptual Categories in Colour Vision: A Critical Review

Abstract

Part of the visual processing of colour stimuli is their classification into a small number of categories, with an effect on the pattern of subjective interstimulus similarities. That is, colour perception is categorical. The relationship between the categories of perception and those of the colour lexicon can be probed in various ways. Natural experiments exist: verbal categories vary between languages, and are not available at all to sufficiently young children. In addition, verbal responses can be discouraged while colour similarity is assessed. Here I review a number of recent studies of categorical perception. I argue that the majority are consistent with a moderate form of linguistic relativity, in which the acquisition of a colour lexicon does influence the perception of similarities. Subjects continue to manifest categorical effects under conditions of speeded search, which might be expected to preclude verbal responses. I interpret this as evidence about the early, pre-attentive stages of verbal processing.