Suppose you stare at an illustration of the American flag for a while,then glance at a blank white page.The red stripes look green when you glance at the blank page because:
A)cones responsive to green light begin firing.
B)cones responsive to red light stop firing.
C)the receptor cells for the red component of the pairing become fatigued.
D)the receptor cells for the green component of the pairing begin to adapt.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as negative afterimage. When we stare at a colored image for a prolonged period, the cells in our retina that respond to that color become fatigued. When we then look at a blank surface, the cells that were fatigued cannot respond, which creates an imbalance in the color information received by the brain. In this case, the cells that respond to red light become fatigued, leading to an increase in the perception of green (which is the opposite color on the color wheel). Therefore, the correct answer is C, as the receptor cells for the red component of the American flag become fatigued, leading to the perception of green on the blank white page.

Suppose You Stare at an Illustration of the American Flag