Abstract
The #TheDress phenomenon refers to a dichotomy in colour perception, which is specific to the foto of a blue&black dress, namely that most observers judge its colours as either blue/black or white/gold. Hypotheses explaining the phenomenon include individual variations of information pocessing at sensory as well as cognitive stages. In particular it has been proposed that the lack of/ambiguity in background information leads observers to different conclusions about the illuminant and the light field. We will present result of matching experiments involving the presentations of the real blue/black dress, mounted on differently colour backgrounds and under the illuminations of two slide projectors, thereby mimicking the ambiguity of the photo. The results identify the use of information from the background as a source for the observed individual differences. The results are discussed in the context of the aquisition, the content and the use of scene knowledge.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2016