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Language, Learning, and Color Perception
Author(s): Emre Özgen
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jun., 2004), pp. 95-98
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. on behalf of Association for Psychological Science
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20182921 .
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IN PSYCHOLOGICALCURRENT DIRECTIONS

and

Learning,

Language,

SCIENCE

Color

Perception
Emre

Ozgen

University

Surrey, United Kingdom

of Surrey, Guildford,

colors
perceive
categorically.
ABSTRACT?People
role of the environment
(or nurture)?specifically,
color

The

perception?
and

categorize

evidence

color perception.
change
color-name
repertoires
color.tion

can

be

mechanism

show

of perceptual

with

in the way
on

effects

the

and

linguistic

relativity;

ception

The

is a continuum

rainbow

of

varying

smoothly

between

of the visible
longest wavelengths
look at it, we do not see a continuum;
rather,

spectrum.

Yet when

shortest

and

of hues

gories)

light

by distinctseparated

we

see bands
These

boundaries.

to names
like "red," "green,"
and
"blue,"
to the following
How would we see
question:
did not have these particular
color names?
language

bands

the

so on,

leads

the rainbow

what

language,
still

you see bands
your

own

This
various
marily

pattern

shape

when

would

see a blue

youseen

happen
a green

band,

of hues

you

disciplines
studying
to a famous
linked
theory

pothesis
(Whorf, 1940/1956),
and even shapes
thought.
or more
Color perception,
choice

Researchers

for

which

that

and

thought
called

the

the

languages

linguistic
vary

out by
from

It is pri

relativity

hy

influences

was

categorization,category

green.

Gl

University
dom; e-mail:

to Emre
Guildford,

?zgen,
Surrey,

Psychology
GU2
7XH,

lan

emerged

seemed

this study.
as
premature

from

somewhat

dashed

line

(Bl and B2) are
are members
of the
the

represents
Bl

between

from each

colors

two (G2 and Gl)

to discriminate

is

what

that are separated

d. Twoof these

vertical

of color

aspect

1 demonstrates

(CP). Figure

remaining

The

on another

to focus

four colors

distance

The

and B2

category
or between

and G2

than between
B2 and G2. In other words,
find it
people
to distinguish
two colors (or find them less similar) when
between
are from separate
than when both are from the same
theycategories
The perceptual
distance
category.
(indicated
by Pd in Fig. 1) is greater
for the pair that crosses
the boundary
than for the pairs that do not.
Such
for

a

language,
should
be
been
such
and

property

perceptual

at hand.

the question

a very

provides

Because

linguistic
relativity
a function
of the perceiver's
CP of color both

studying

good...