Jennifer Klein

Jennifer Klein

PERCEPTUAL DISTORTIONS

We, as viewers, are constantly bombarded with visual information. Light of seemingly infinite arrangements of intensities, wavelengths, and spatial arrangements enters our eye, impinges on the surface of our retina, and through a complicated and fascinating process, it results in conscious awareness of a visual world. However, the brain does not necessarily translate physical properties of the world in a one-to-one manner. Rather, perception involves a complicated process of thought and problem solving in which the brain attempts to utilize physical information in an optimal manner. Through a series of experiments, I have explored one of these complicated processes: Color Constancy. The brain makes estimates of the light reflecting off of a surface and of the light source illuminating the surface. Perception of the object’s color depends on both of these factors. I have attempted to uncover the nature of the color constancy mechanism’s ability to integrate contextual information over space. Specifically, I have explored the interaction of foreground and background colors and the way that they each affect the appearance of other colors in the scene.

SECTOR A: Philosophy & Science of Seeing
ADVISERS: David Brainard | Michael Leja