Contour Plot of All WCS Foci


The graphic below shows, by means of yellowish and purplish lines, a contour map of the number of focus responses in the WCS, where the underlying terrain is the 320 chip Munsell hue grid (Neutrals not shown). The black dots are the averaged English focal responses from an independent study by 2 folks named Sturges and Whitfield.

Two interesting things are that

  • (1) the WCS contour map for focus responses shows a small number of clear peaks, indicating cross-language similarity in focal choices and
  • (2) these peaks fall near the peaks for English RYBG, which are taken by many color scientists to represent perceptual universals (and not merely the vagaries of one language, as a strict Whorfian might have it).


Contour Plot by Terry Regier: 20030418


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