For 100 years Benham's top has been a popular device demonstrating pattern-induced flicker colours (PIFCs). Results of early and recent investigations on PIFCs are reported and show that the phenomenon originates in phase-sensitive lateral interactions of modulated neural activity in the retina followed by additional spatial interactions in the visual cortex behind the locus of binocular fusion. Colour matches with normal colour stimuli indicate that S/(M + L) opponent neurons are involved. Dichromats do not find matching stimuli for all PIFCs. PIFCs may become useful in medical diagnosis. The phenomenon is interpreted as a side effect of a neural mechanism providing colour constancy under normal stimulus conditions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
de AbneyW W, 1895“The artificial spectrum top”Nature (London)51292
2.
AdamczakW, 1981“The amacrine cells as an important processing site of pattern-induced flicker colors”Vision Research211639–1642
BothRVon CampenhausenC, 1978“Sensitivity of a sensory process to short time delays: A study in pattern induced flicker colors (PIFCs)”Biological Cybernetics3063–74
9.
BoycottB BHopkinsJ MSperlinH G, 1987“Cone connections of the horizontal cells of the rhesus monkey's retina”Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B229345–379
10.
BrindleyG S, 1960Physiology of the Retina and Visual Pathway (Sevenoaks, Kent: Edward Arnold)
11.
Von CampenhausenC, 1968a“Über die Farben der Benhamschen Scheibe”Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie60351–374
12.
Von CampenhausenC, 1968b“Über den Ursprungsort von musterinduzierten Flickerfarben im visuellen System des Menschen”Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie61355–360
13.
Von CampenhausenC, 1969“The colors of Benham's top under metameric illuminations”Vision Research9677–682
14.
Von CampenhausenC, 1973“Detection of short time delays between photic stimuli by means of pattern induced flicker colors (PIFCs)”Vision Research132261–2272
15.
Von CampenhausenCHofstetterKSchrammeJTritschM F, 1992“Color induction via non-opponent lateral interactions in the human retina”Vision Research32913–923
16.
ChristianPHaasR, 1948“Über ein Farbphänomen”Sitzungsberichte der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften11–28
17.
CohenJGordonD A, 1949“The Prevost-Fechner-Benham subjective colors”Psychological Bulletin4697–136
CourtneyS MBuchsbaumG, 1991“Temporal differences between color pathways within the retina as a possible origin of subjective colors”Vision Research311541–1548
20.
DanzigerR S, 1975“Perception of Benham colors in homing pigeons”Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society90(2) 64–65
21.
EstévezOSpekreijseH, 1982“The ‘silent substitution’ method in visual research”Vision Research22681–691
22.
FechnerG T, 1838“Über eine Scheibe zur Erzeugung subjektiver Farben”Annalen der Physik und Chemie45227–232
23.
FestingerLAllynM RWhiteC W, 1971“The perception of color with achromatic stimulation”Vision Research11591–612
FreundH-J, 1973“Neural mechanisms of the lateral geniculate body”, in Handbook of Sensory PhysiologyVolume VII/2, Eds AutrumHJungRLoewensteinW RMacKayD MTeuberH L (Berlin: Springer) pp 177–246
26.
FryG A, 1933“Modulation of the optic nerve-current as a basis of color vision”American Journal of Psychology45488–492
27.
GehrckeE, 1948“Neue Versuche über Farbensehen”Annalen der Physik6 Folge 2, 345–354
28.
GregoryA H, 1968“Interaction of visual stimuli”Nature (London)219734–735
29.
HasegawaT, 1971“Effect of spatio-temporal interactions on Fechner color”Acta Chromatica249–57
30.
HeinzH, 1980Die Abhängigkeit der Flickerfarben von verschiedenen Reizbedingungen bei Farbnormalen und Farbanomalen Dissertation, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
31.
HessE H, 1952“Subjective colors: retinal vs. central origin”American Journal of Psychology65278–280
32.
JamesonD, 1972“Theoretical issues of color vision”, in Handbook of Sensory PhysiologyVolume VII/4, Eds AutrumHJungRLoewensteinW RMacKayD MTeuberH L (Berlin: Springer) pp 381–412
JarvisJ R, 1993“Subjective color from achromatic flicker”Vision Research331131–1132
35.
KarvellasP C, 1969A Quantitative Study of the Subjective Color Phenomenon Dissertation, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL (Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms)
36.
KarvellasP CPikornyJSmithV CTánczosZ, 1979“Hue reversal in the Fechner-Benham color effect following white light adaptation”Vision Research191277–1279
37.
KozakW MReitboeckH J, 1974“Color-dependent distribution of spike in single optic tract fibers of the cat”Vision Research14405–419
38.
KozakW MReitboeckH JMenoF, 1989“Subjective color sensations elicited by moving patterns: effect of luminance”, in Seeing Contour and Color Eds KulikowskiJ J (Oxford: Pergamon Press)
39.
LenniePFairchildM D, 1994“Ganglion cell pathways for rod vision”Vision Research34477–482
40.
Le RohellecJViénotFBonnetC, 1992“Change in the colours of Benham's top with exposure time”Perception21 (Supplement 2) 76
41.
MaffeiLCervettaLFiorentiniA, 1970“Transfer characteristics of excitation and inhibition in retinal ganglion cells”Journal of Neurophysiology33276–284
42.
MüllerGKorthMRixRWeimerE, 1980“Information coding in the visual system: a new hypothesis”Graefes Archiv für Ophthalmologie3141–7
43.
NeumeyerC, 1981“Chromatic adaptation in the honey bee: successive color contrast and color constancy”Journal of Comparative Physiology144543–553
44.
PiéronH, 1923“Le mécanisme d'apparition des couleurs subjectives de Fechner-Benham”L'Année Psychologique131–49
45.
PiéronH, 1928“Influence de la composition de la lumière sur la nature des couleurs subjectives de Fechner-Benham”L'Année Psychologique29229–233
PolizzottoLPeuraR A, 1975“A mathematical approach to explain subjective color perception”Vision Research151–4
48.
RobinsonS R, 1991“Development of the mammalian retina”, in Neuroanatomy of the Visual Pathways and Their Development Eds DreherBRobinsonS R, Volume 3 of Vision and Visual Dysfunction Ed. Cronly-DillonJ R, pp 69–118
49.
RoelofsC OZeemanW P C, 1957a“Benham's top and the color phenomena resulting from interaction with intermittent light”Acta Psychologica (Amsterdam)13334–356
50.
RoelofsC OZeemanW P C, 1957b“Benham's top and the color phenomena resulting from interaction with intermittent light stimuli”Acta Psychologica (Amsterdam)13334–356
51.
RosenblumKAndersonM LPurpleR L, 1981“Normal and color defective perception of the Fechner-Benham colors: implications of the color vision theory”Vision Research211483–1490
52.
SchrammeJ, 1992“Changes in pattern induced flicker colors are mediated by the blue-yellow opponent process”Vision Research322129–2134
53.
SchrammeJTritschM F, 1988“Farbmetrische Untersuchungen und spektrale Empfindlichkeitsmessungen zu Musterinduzierten Flimmerfarben”, in Sense Organs Eds EisnerNBarthF G (Stuttgart: Thieme) p 282
54.
SheppardJ J, 1968Human Color Perception (New York: Elsevier)
55.
SherringtonC S, 1897“On reciprocal action in the retina as studied by means of some rotating discs”Journal of Physiology2133–54
56.
SrinivasanMLehrerMWehnerR, 1987“Bees perceive illusory colors induced by movement”Vision Research271285–1289
57.
StewartG N, 1924“Color phenomena caused by intermittent stimulation with white light”American Journal of Physiology69337–353
58.
StoneJ, 1983Parallel Processing in the Visual System (New York: Plenum)
59.
TrolandL T, 1921“The enigma of color vision”American Journal of Physiological Optics223–48
60.
TritschM F, 1992“Fourier analysis of the stimuli for pattern-induced flicker colors”Vision Research321461–1470
61.
TritschM FPfeifferN, 1994“Erhöhte Schwellen für die Detektion von Phasenunterschieden in musterinduzierten Flimmerfarben bei Patienten mit Glaukom”Klinische Monatsblätter der Augenheilkunde20527–32
62.
VerriestGSekiR, 1964“Les chromaticités des couleurs subjectives suscitées par la rotation du disque de Fechner-Benham”Revue d'Optique4353–63
63.
ViénotFLe RohellecJ, 1992“Reversal in the sequence of the Benham colors with a change in the wavelength of illumination”Vision Research122369–2374
