Categorical perception (CP) of color is the faster and more accurate discrimination of two colors from different categories than two colors from the same category, even when same-and differentcategory chromatic separations are equated. In adults, color CP is lateralized to the left hemisphere (LH), whereas in infants, it is lateralized to the right hemisphere (RH). There is evidence that the LH bias in color CP in adults is due to the influence of color terms in the LH. Here we show that the RH to LH switch in color CP occurs when the words that distinguish the relevant category boundary are learned. A colored target was shown in either the left-or right-visual field on either the same-or different-category background, with equal hue separation for both conditions. The time to initiate an eye movement toward the target from central fixation at target onset was recorded. Color naming and comprehension was assessed. Toddlers were faster at detecting targets on different-than same-category backgrounds and the extent of CP did not vary with level of color term knowledge. However, for toddlers who knew the relevant color terms, the category effect was found only for targets in the RVF (LH), whereas for toddlers learning the color terms, the category effect was found only for targets in the LVF (RH). The findings suggest that lateralization of color CP changes with color term acquisition, and provide evidence for the influence of language on the functional organization of the brain.visual field ͉ color perception T he influence of color language on color perception and cognition has been debated for many decades (1, 2). One argument is that the color lexicon, in dividing the spectrum of color into discrete categories, changes perceptual differences among colors so that colors from the same linguistic category appear more similar than colors from different categories (3). There is converging support for this ''Whorfian'' hypothesis that language affects color perception. For example, categorical perception (CP) of color-faster or more accurate discrimination between two colors from different categories than two colors from the same category of an equivalent chromatic separation (4)-is only found in adult speakers if their color lexicon marks the categorical difference (3, 5, 6). Moreover, color CP is lateralized to the ''language dominant'' left hemisphere (LH) in adults (7-11) and LH CP is eliminated by verbal but not visual interference (7), both of which imply linguistic involvement in CP.Despite the overwhelming evidence that color CP in adults depends on language, there is also evidence that color CP can be language independent. This comes from a series of developmental studies that find that infants as young as 4 months respond categorically to color on a range of tasks and across a range of color category boundaries (9,(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). However, this prelinguistic CP, in contrast to the LH-lateralized color CP in adults, appears to be lateralized to the right hemisphere (RH) (9). One interpretation of this f...

PDF created with FinePrint pdfFactory trial version http://www.pdffactory.com 2 Abstract Claims of universality pervade color preference research. It has been argued that there are universal preferences for some colors over others (e.g., Eysenck, 1941), universal sex differences (e.g., Hurlbert & Ling, 2007), and universal mechanisms or dimensions that govern these preferences (e.g., Palmer & Schloss, 2010a). However, there have been surprisingly few cross-cultural investigations of color preference, and none from nonindustrialised societies that are relatively free from the common influence of global consumer culture. Here, we compare the color preferences of British adults to those of Himba adults who belong to a non-industrialised culture in rural Namibia. British and Himba color preferences are found to share few characteristics, and Himba color preferences display none of the so-called 'universal' patterns or sex differences. Several significant predictors of color preference are identified such as cone-contrast between stimulus and background (Hurlbert & Ling, 2007), the valence of color-associated objects (Palmer & Schloss, 2010a), and the colorfulness of the color. However, the relationship of these predictors to color preference was strikingly different for the two cultures. No one model of color preference is able to account for both British and Himba color preferences. We suggest that not only do patterns of color preference vary across individuals and groups, but that the underlying mechanisms and dimensions of color preference vary as well. The findings have implications for broader debate on the extent to which our perception and experience of color is culturally relative or universally constrained.PDF created with FinePrint pdfFactory trial version http://www.pdffactory.com 3 Color preferences are not universal Ever since Fechner's (1801-1887) demonstration that abstract forms are pleasing to the human senses (e.g., see Fancher, 1996), scientists have strived to establish the extent to which human preferences for basic sensory stimuli are systematic and universal. The first scientific study of color preferences came soon after Fechner's discovery (Cohn, 1894; cited in Ball, 1965), and a number of large scale investigations of color preference were conducted over the next century (e.g., Eysenck, 1941;Guilford & Smith, 1959;Hogg, 1969). These studies claimed to reveal systematic patterns of color preference, and a universal order of color preference (blue, red, green, purple, orange and yellow) was proposed (Eysenck, 1941).Recent studies of color preference have provided general support for the idea that some colors (e.g., blue) are more likely to be liked than others (e.g., yellow). Although some cultural variation has been acknowledged on the basis of studies that compare the color preferences of two or more cultures

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Prior claims that color categories affect color perception are confounded by inequalities in the color space used to equate same-and different-category colors. Here, we equate same-and different-category colors in the number of just-noticeable differences, and measure event-related potentials (ERPs) to these colors on a visual oddball task to establish if color categories affect perceptual or post-perceptual stages of processing. Category effects were found from 200 ms after color presentation, only in ERP components that reflect post-perceptual processes (e.g., N2, P3). The findings suggest that color categories affect post-perceptual processing, but do not affect the perceptual representation of color.