Multi-Stage Categorical Color Perception Revealed with a Color Space Classification Method

Abstract

We generally express color as some categorical color even though we have the ability to discriminate millions of colors. Most studies of categorical color perception have been based on color naming, so they have been affected by vocabulary. We have identified the locations of categorical color perception without the effect of a vocabulary by using a color space classification method. Five observers classified a set of 424 OSA color samples and an additional 6 JIS-munsell chips into several (2-14) groups. The locations of the classified categories were similarly arranged in color space across the observers. The classified categories had at least four stages, probably corresponding to multi-stage categorical color perception. Some classified categories had regions dissimilar to the categories derived with a color naming method.