Talk title: The Development of Colour Perception

Abstract

Colour is a pervasive feature of our perceptual experience and has a role in many aspects of mind and behaviour.  For example: colour enables us to recognise scenes and objects and tells us about their properties; changes in skin colour tell us about a person’s health; we use colour terms and symbolism to communicate efficiently; and colour has a strong influence on aesthetic judgments.  In this talk I will present a series of studies that investigate how colour perception develops.  These studies investigate the development of colour constancy, categories and preference, ask whether infant colour perception is tuned to natural scenes, and also aim to characterise how colour is perceived in those with neurodevelopmental conditions.  I will discuss the theoretical implications of the findings for broader debate in the psychological sciences, and I will present a few examples of our application of the research to educational and commercial contexts.