Do You See What I See? The Science of Color Perception DVD

When a movie hero leaps into a taxi and shouts, “Follow that blue car!” he takes the driver’s understanding of color for granted. But, physiologically speaking, can we be sure that the hues we perceive are the same? How do you actually describe them? To what degree are they created in our brains? This program explores what color really means to us, with expertise drawn from the realms of neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and art. Shedding light on the role of color in the animal world and how it influences moods and reactions, the film features brain researcher Beau Lotto, who conducts a series of experiments to prove that perception is key. Meanwhile, color-blind artist Meghan Simms prepares to undergo gene therapy in the hope of improving her response to chromatic stimuli. A provocative and engaging report. Contains brief nudity. A BBC Production. (59 minutes)

Length: 60 minutes

ORDER CODE:  48257

Copyright date: ©2011

Colors May Not Really Exist (01:44)

Researchers ask if people across the world see color in the same way.

Color is Effectively an Illusion (02:05)

Dr. Beau Lotto believes illusions hold clues to how perception works. Lotto creates a range of experiments with 150 people to help explain how we see color.

Red is Rooted in the Human Psyche (03:33)

A group of scientists investigates the effect of wearing red; they observe competitors of contact sports in the Olympic games.

Does Wearing Red Make You a Winner? (05:35)

Scientists use football to study how the color red affects the game and player physiology. Does wearing red makes you stronger or does seeing red make you feel threatened? They test testosterone and cortisol levels.

Color Can Speed-Up Time (03:52)

Dr. Beau Lotto uses red, blue, and white color pods to see if color changes our perception of time; 150 people take part in the experiment. A minute lasts 11 seconds shorter in a blue pod compared to a red pod.

Gray in an Artist's World (03:46)

Meghan Simms lacks color cell receptors, cones, in her eyes but has the cells and rods, that allow her to see in low light. Simms learns colors by matching them to shades of gray and links them to deep emotions.

The Power of Blue (05:49)

A designer chooses blue to make a restaurant feel warm. Customer behavior consistently changes around 10 PM. Professor Foster studies the effect of color on our Arcadian cycle; he finds a cell in the eye called photosensitive ganglion.

Color and Emotional Reactions (03:48)

Professor Neitz believes the clues to the power of color in our lives lies in our evolutionary past. Our earliest sensitivities to color is a two color system of blue and yellow. Primates develop sensitivity to red and green.

Evolution of Color Perception and Emotions (05:04)

Professor Neitz gives two squirrel monkeys receptors in their eyes that makes seeing red and green possible. Dalton and Sam learn to associate color with different objects; the key to associating color to emotions.

Color is More than Wavelengths of Light (02:35)

Dr. Beau Lotto uses a red and green illusion to show how easily the colors we see can change. Color does not exist; it is a construct of the brain.

Color Constancy (03:59)

The brain automatically fixes our vision perception so that color stays constant when moving from artificial to natural light. Professor Anya Hurlbert experiments with fruit and color patches to understand how object knowledge contributes to color constancy.

Language May Affect the Colors You See (03:34)

Color vision develops over the first three months of life. The English speaking world has 11 color categories. Dr. Anna Franklin tests how the brain processes color categories pre and post language.

Perception of Colors Depends on Words (04:55)

The Himba describe the colors they see in a different way. Himba have five words to describe color. Experts test how long it takes the Himba to spot a color different from the others. (Brief nudity)

Color is Created in Your Brain (03:57)

Professor Davidoff believes everybody sees the same sensation for individual colors; more than one color requires a similarity judgment. Beau Lotto tests how we create colors using patterns. People relate color to nature.

Emotions Affect What You See (04:19)

People feeling powerful spot changes in color more effectively than people who feel powerless; there are also differences between men and women. Beau Lotto discovers that age, sex, and status affects color perception.

Credits: Do You See What I See? The Science of Color Perception (00:33)