Consistent image. Color vision, visual contrasts and sequential images What causes the phenomenon of sequential imagery

The most elementary form of sensory memory is represented by so-called sequential images. They manifest themselves in both the visual, auditory and general sensory spheres and are well studied in psychology.

The phenomenon of a sequential image (often denoted by the symbol KB, according to the German term "Lacill") is as follows: if you present a simple stimulus to the subject for a while, for example, ask him to look at a bright red square for 10-15 seconds, and then remove this square, then the subject continues to see in place of the removed red square a print of the same shape, but usually blue-green (in addition to red) color. This one is from-

the signet sometimes appears immediately, sometimes after a few seconds and persists for a certain period (from 10-15 seconds to 45-60 seconds), then gradually begins to fade, lose its clear contours, as if spreading, then disappears; sometimes it appears again only to disappear completely. For different subjects, both the brightness and clarity and duration of successive images may vary.

The phenomenon of sequential images is explained by the fact that irritation of the retina has its own aftereffect: it depletes that fraction of visual purple (the color-sensitive component of the cone), which provides the perception of red color, so when you look at a white sheet, an imprint of an additional blue-green color appears. This kind of sequential image is called negative sequential image. It can be regarded as the most elementary type of storage of sensory traces or the most elementary type of sensitive memory.

In addition to negative sequential images, there are also positive sequential images. They can be observed if, in complete darkness, you place an object (for example, a hand) in front of your eyes, and then illuminate the field with bright light (for example, a flash from a light bulb) for a very short time (0.5 seconds). In this case, after the light goes out, the person will continue to see for some period a bright image of the object located in front of his eyes, this time in natural colors; this image persists for some time and then disappears.

The phenomenon of a positive sequential image is the result of a direct aftereffect of short-term visual perception. The fact that it does not change its color is explained by the fact that in the coming darkness the background does not excite the retina, and a person can observe the immediate aftereffect of the sensory excitation caused at one moment.

The phenomenon of sequential images has always been of interest to psychophysiologists, who saw in this phenomenon an opportunity to directly observe the processes of those traces that are stored in the nervous system from the action of sensory stimuli, and to trace the dynamics of these traces.

Consecutive images primarily reflect excitation phenomena occurring on the retina of the eye. This is proven by simple experiment. If you present a red square on a gray screen for a while and, having removed this square, get its sequential image, and then gradually move the screen away, you can see that the size of the sequential image gradually increases, and this increase in the sequential image is directly proportional to the distance of the screen (“Emmert’s law ").

This is explained by the fact that as the screen moves away, the angle that its reflection begins to occupy on the retina gradually decreases, and the sequential image begins to occupy more and more space on this decreasing area of the retinal image of the moving screen. The described phenomenon serves as clear evidence that in this case we really observe the aftereffect of those excitation processes that occur on the retina, and subsequent

The physical image is the most elementary form of short-term sensory memory.

It is characteristic that a sequential image is an example of the most elementary trace processes that cannot be regulated by conscious effort: it can neither be extended at will nor voluntarily evoked again. This is the difference between sequential images and more complex types of memory images.

Consecutive images can be observed in the auditory sphere and in the sphere of skin sensations, but there they are less pronounced and last a shorter time.

Despite the fact that sequential images are a reflection of processes occurring on the retina, their brightness and consistency significantly depend on the state of the visual cortex. Thus, in cases of tumors of the occipital region of the brain, successive images can appear in a weakened form and persist for a shorter time, and sometimes are not evoked at all (I. N. Zislina). On the contrary, with the introduction of certain stimulating substances they can become brighter and longer lasting.

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On the history of psychology as a science
Psychology as a science has a very short history. However, the first attempts to describe human mental life and explain the reasons for human actions are rooted in the distant past. So, for example,

The relationship of psychology to other sciences
Psychology can develop by maintaining only a close connection with other sciences, which do not replace it, but provide important information so that it can successfully reveal its own

Methods of psychology
The presence of sufficiently objective, accurate and reliable methods is one of the main conditions for the development of every science.

The role of the scientific method is related to the fact that the essence of the process being studied does not coincide with
Practical significance of psychology

Psychology is of great importance not only for solving a number of basic theoretical questions about psychological life and conscious activity of a person.
It also has a practical meaning

Origin of the psyche
Pre-scientific psychology, which developed in early idealistic philosophy, considered the psyche to be one of the primary properties of man and considered consciousness as a direct manifestation of the “spiritual

Variability of protozoan behavior
Sensitivity to "neutral" stimuli, if they begin to signal the appearance of vital influences, causes radical changes in life forms. The main thing is

Mechanisms of protozoan behavior
Science still knows very little about the physical and chemical conditions of the behavior of protozoa and about the reasons that cause positive or negative movements (movement towards one object

The origin of the nervous system and its simplest forms
The described processes of irritability in relation to biotic influences, sensitivity in relation to neutral influences signaling the appearance of vital influences, and elements

Ganglionic nervous system and the emergence of simple behavior programs
The further evolution of behavior is associated with the emergence of complex differentiated reception apparatuses, which make it possible to perceive highly specialized information coming from the external environment. She's connected

The central nervous system and individually variable behavior of vertebrates
Everything we know about the ways of life and behavior of vertebrates shows that both their forms of life and their forms of behavior are built on a completely different principle.

Only in lower vertebrates,
Mechanisms of individually variable behavior

As the American researcher Dashnall showed, the tests that an animal makes when placed in a maze are not random; they, as a rule, always go in the general direction towards the goal, so the animal
Intellectual behavior of animals

The described forms of occurrence of individually variable behavior are not, however, the highest limit of the evolution of behavior in the animal world.
In vertebrates, standing at the top of the evolutionary forest

Boundaries of individually variable animal behavior
We noted that the individually variable adaptive behavior of higher vertebrates can reach very complex forms. A natural question arises: what are its characteristic features and its boundaries?

General principles
In its basic characteristics, conscious human activity differs sharply from the individually variable behavior of animals.

The differences in human conscious activity come down to three
Labor and the formation of conscious activity

Historical science identifies two factors that lie at the origins of the transition from the natural history of animals to the social history of man. One of them is social labor and the use of tools
Language and human consciousness

Another condition that leads to the formation of complex conscious human activity is the emergence of language.
Language is usually understood as a system of codes, from to

The importance of language for the formation of mental processes
As mentioned above (Chapter 2), the human brain, which is a product of long evolution, represents a complex hierarchically constructed system, which is distinguished by the fact that above the brainstem apparatus

Three main "blocks" of the brain
As we have already indicated, the human brain, which ensures the reception and processing of information and the creation of programs for one’s own actions and control over their successful implementation, always works as one

The principle of lateralization in the work of the cerebral hemispheres
The description of the three main blocks, the joint work of which ensures the activity of the human brain, does not exhaust the basic principles of its work. However, this description must be supplemented

Problem
The main source of our knowledge about the external world and our own body is sensations. They constitute the main channels through which information about the phenomena of the external world and the state of the body

Receptor and reflex theory of sensations
In classical psychology, there is an idea according to which the sense organ (receptor) passively responds to influencing stimuli, and this passive response is the corresponding sensations.

Types of exteroceptive sensations
As you know, exteroceptive sensations include the five “modalities” listed above: smell, taste, touch, hearing and vision. This listing is correct, but not exhaustive

The interaction of sensations and the phenomenon of synesthesia
The individual senses we have just described do not always work in isolation. They can interact with each other, and this interaction can take two forms.

S about
Levels of organization of sensations

The classification of sensations is not limited to assigning individual sensations to different “modalities”. Along with the systematic classification of sensations, there is also a structural - genetic
Study of absolute thresholds of sensations

So far we have focused on a qualitative analysis of various types of sensations. However, quantitative research, in other words, their measurement, is no less important.
Study of relative (difference) sensitivity

Until now, we have focused on measuring the absolute sensitivity of our senses - the lower and upper thresholds of sensations. There is, however, a relative (difference) sensitivity to
Until now, we have considered the most elementary forms of reflection of reality - the processes through which a person reflects individual signs of the external world or signals indicating

Simple forms of tactile perception
As mentioned above, touch is a complex form of sensitivity, which includes both elementary (protopathic) and complex (epicritic) components.

Complex forms of tactile perception
Until now, we have considered relatively simple forms of cutaneous and kinesthetic sensitivity, reflecting only relatively elementary signs (pressure, touch, position of the limbs

Visual perception
The visual system is characterized at first glance by features that are in many ways opposite to the tactile system.

If in tactile perception a person perceives only individual signs of
Structure of the visual system

The visual system has a complex, hierarchical structure, which in many ways distinguishes it from the system of tactile (skin) sensitivity described above.
If the peripheral parts are palpable

Perception of structures
We have described the morphological structure of the visual system and can now turn to the analysis of the basic patterns of visual perception.

We have already indicated above that we do not live in a world
Perception of objects and situations

As we have just seen, visual perception of simple forms occurs instantly and does not require long, detailed searches with the selection of identifying features and their further synthesis into one
Factors that determine the perception of complex objects

We described the process of visual perception of complex objects and situations, we saw the importance that active search eye movements have in this process.
The question arises: what does it depend on?

Methods for studying false visual perception
The study of perception and especially the processes of isolating an image from the surrounding background, stability and generalization of the perceived image can be of great importance: for assessing the overall

Development of subject perception
The perception of space differs in many ways from the perception of form and object. Its difference lies in the fact that it relies on other systems of cooperating analyzers and can proceed

Auditory perception
Auditory perception is fundamentally different from both tactile and visual perception.

If tactile and visual perception reflects the world of objects located in space
Physiological and morphological basis of hearing

Our hearing perceives tones and noises. Tones are regular rhythmic vibrations of air, and the frequency of these vibrations determines the pitch of the tone (the higher the frequency
Psychological organization of auditory perception

Speaking about the organization of tactile and visual sensitivity, we have already noted that the factors that organize them into known systems are the forms and objects of the external world. Reflecting them and bringing them
Pathology of auditory perception

Disturbance of auditory processes can occur when different parts of the auditory pathway are affected and are of a different nature.
In case of damage to the peripheral part of the auditory pathway - internal

Perception of time
If after discussing the basic laws of tactile and visual perception we had to dwell on the psychological laws of perception of space, then after discussing the basic laws of the next

Factors that determine attention
What factors determine a person's attention? We can distinguish at least two groups of factors that ensure the selective nature of mental processes, defining how

Physiological basis of attention
For a long time, psychologists and physiologists have tried to describe the mechanisms that determine the selective course of arousal processes and underlie attention. However, these attempts take a long time

Neurophysiological mechanisms of activation. Activating reticular system
The starting point for modern research into the neurophysiological mechanisms of attention is the fact that the selective nature of the course of mental processes characteristic of attention can be

Orienting reflex as the basis of attention
The activating reticular system with its ascending and descending fibers is a neurophysiological apparatus that provides one of the most important forms of reflex activity known

Installation and attention
In psychology, there are two main types of attention - involuntary and voluntary.

Involuntary attention is spoken of in cases when a person’s attention is directly
Methods for studying attention

Psychological studies of attention, as a rule, set as their task the study of voluntary attention - its volume, stability and distribution. Study of the most complex
Development of attention

Signs of the development of stable involuntary attention clearly appear in the very first weeks of a child’s life. They can be observed in the early symptoms of the orienting reflex - fi
Pathology of attention

Impaired attention is one of the most important symptoms of a pathological condition of the brain, and its study can contribute important data to the diagnosis of brain lesions.
With massive p

History of memory research
The study of memory was one of the first branches of psychological science where the experimental method was applied, attempts were made to measure the processes being studied and to describe the laws to which they obey.

Preservation of traces in the nervous system
The phenomenon of long-term preservation of traces of a stimulus has been noted by researchers throughout the development of the animal world.

The fact has been repeatedly observed that a single electrical stimulation
The process of “consolidation” of traces

The fact of imprinting traces of those stimuli that affected the human brain raises important questions: how does the process of fixing these traces proceed?
secured

Physiological mechanisms of “short-term” and “long-term” memory
What are the physiological mechanisms underlying “short-term” and “long-term” memory?

Back in the thirties and forties, an observation was made that provided the basis for the fact that
Brain systems that support memory

The above findings raise questions: What large brain systems mediate trace imprinting?
A more complex and higher specifically human type of memory is verbal memory.

We not only use words to designate objects, and verbal speech not only
Memorization and recall

Until now, we have focused on individual types of traces and the features of their imprinting.
Now we must characterize special mnestic activity, in other words,

The influence of semantic organization on memorization
Until now, we have considered the basic laws of memorizing and reproducing series consisting of isolated links not connected into one whole.

Completely different laws characterize memorization.
Dependence of memorization on the structure of activity

In all the cases on which we dwelled, memorization or memorization was the subject of a special task assigned to the subject, and the basic laws of memorization and reproduction were the laws
Individual characteristics of memory

Until now we have focused on the general patterns of human memory. However, there are individual differences in which the memory of some people differs from that of others.
These individual

Memory research methods
A memory study may face one of three tasks: to establish the volume and strength of memorization, to characterize the physiological nature of forgetting, and to describe possible levels

Memory development
Memory development in childhood can least of all be imagined as a process of gradual quantitative growth or maturation.

In its development, memory undergoes a dramatic history,
Pathology of memory

Pathological conditions of the brain are very often accompanied by memory impairment; However, until recently, very little was known about what psychological features distinguish the disorders
Intellectual act and its structure

As noted above, there are three main forms of behavior that are already observed in animals and undergo significant development with the transition to humans.
The word is rightfully considered the basic unit of language. However, it would be a big mistake to think that it is an elementary, further indivisible particle, as was believed for a long time, about

Methods for studying word meanings
The real process of using a word, as a choice from a system of multiple meanings, is fundamental to the psychology of communication and thinking; Therefore, one of the most important tasks of scientific psychology is to

Development of the meaning of words
It would be wrong to think that the complex structure of the word, including both the designation of an object and the system of its abstract and generalizing features, arose immediately and that language from the very beginning had

Word and concept
Having described above the fact that behind every word of a developed language there is hidden a system of connections and relationships in which the object designated by the word is included, we state that “every word generalizes” and

Concept research methods
The psychological study of concepts and their internal structure is of such great importance both for the theory of psychology and for the practical diagnosis of the characteristics of mental development and its

Pathology of the meaning of words and concepts
Experimental techniques for studying the meaning of words and the assimilation of concepts open up new opportunities for describing those features of cognitive processes that appear in pathological conditions.

Syntactic means of utterance
Not every combination of two or more words creates a meaningful system or sentence.

Linguistics knows a number of objective means that language has at its disposal, transforming a combination of words
Main types of statements

A psychologist who studies language as a system of codes that allows one to reflect external reality and formulate a thought must carefully study not only the means by which it is formulated
Evolution of logical and grammatical structures of utterances

The description of the basic means and types of logical and grammatical structures of a speech utterance allows us to see how complex the language matrices that form a thought are, and how simple
By speech we understand the process of transmitting information using the means of language

If language is an objective system of codes that has developed in social history and is the subject of a special science - linguistics (linguistics), then speech is a psychological process
We focused on the structure of a speech utterance and its individual components. Now we should consider different types of speech utterances, which have completely different structures and in

Pathology of speech utterance
The psychological structure of a speech utterance becomes clear if we follow the forms of disturbances that appear in certain pathological conditions of the brain, especially in local

The problem of decoding (understanding) a message
The process of understanding a perceived message cannot in any way be considered a simple process of assimilating the meaning of words: understanding the message “your brother broke his leg” does not at all mean understanding the meaning of the words “you

Decoding (understanding) the meaning of words
Many linguists rightly argue that a word is always polysemous and that every word is actually a metaphor.

The word “handle” means primarily a small hand (“handle p”
Decoding (understanding) sentence meanings

The second major part of the process of decoding a message is understanding the sentence - the second, larger unit of utterance.
Decoding a sentence confronts perception

Understanding the message
Decoding the meaning of a phrase or logical-grammatical structure does not exhaust the process of understanding. This is followed by the most difficult stage - understanding the meaning of the entire message as a whole.

Problem
Pathology of speech understanding

The process of decoding a speech utterance (or incoming information) can be significantly impaired in pathological conditions of the brain, and the forms of this disorder allow us to come closer to the description
We highlighted the question of the structure of the word and its role in the formation of concepts and gave an analysis of the path from thought to expanded speech, which underlies the formation of a statement. They also showed the path from r

Logical structures as the basis of thinking
Considering the process of concept formation, we saw what role the word plays in this process, which itself is a product of socio-historical development, it has complex meanings

Development of logical inference in a child
Mastery of the operation of logical inference goes through a number of successive stages, which can be clearly observed in the process of child development.

We have already indicated that by the beginning of preschool
Methods for studying productive speech thinking fall into two groups. One of them is aimed at studying the prerequisites for speech complex discursive (reasoning) thinking

Pathology of productive thinking
Thinking disorders in pathological conditions of the brain can be the result of one of two factors: a defect in abstraction and generalization and changes in the very structure of thought processes (

4.3. Sequential images. Consistent color contrast

Visual sensations do not arise simultaneously with the onset of the stimulus (irritant) and do not disappear instantly with the cessation of its action. In order for excitation to occur under the influence of light, certain processes must take place in the retina and nervous system, which require some, albeit very short, time. At a light intensity 400 times higher than the threshold intensity, the sensation occurs 0.1 s after exposure to light. Sometimes the period of time by which the moment of sensation onset lags behind the moment of exposure to the stimulus extends to 25 seconds or more. After the cessation of the stimulus, its visual sensation remains for some time.

In a consistent manner is a visual sensation that persists in the visual analyzer for some time after the cessation of the direct action of the stimulus (color). The decay of a sequential image lasts a long time (15 - 20 s) and depends on the brightness of the stimulus in relation to the brightness of the background, on the time of its action and the angular size. The sequential image is called positive, if it corresponds in lightness and color tone to the preliminary stimulus, and negative- in the absence of compliance.

After observing a chromatically colored object, one can sometimes observe a consistent image of the opposite color. So, if, after observing a green figure for 15 - 20 s, you turn your gaze to an achromatic background, a consistent image of a pink figure appears on the background. After exposing the eye to green, everything appears pink. The colors of successive images when looking at a white surface are close to the colors additional to the stimulus, but do not coincide with it (Table 4.5).

Consistent images cause visual fatigue and can interfere with the perception of signals of other colors.

A change in the colors of observed objects as a result of preliminary action on the eye of some other color stimuli (from successive images) is called consistent color contrast. Consistent contrast can be light-colored(when the lightness of the observed colors changes) and chromatic(when the color tone or purity of colors changes). You can get an idea of consistent contrast by looking closely at the green shade of a lit table lamp and then looking at the white paper. A similar phenomenon can also be easily observed at metro stations illuminated by fluorescent warm-white lamps with pink radiation. If a train approaches a station, the carriages of which are illuminated by incandescent lamps, the light of the latter is perceived as greenish. The phenomenon of consistent contrasts must be taken into account when designing colors and developing a light signaling system, especially when installing and using light signals in transport - on distribution and other boards (boards, mnemonic diagrams, etc.) that have signal lamps.

In such cases, it seems advisable to paint the background of the signal lamp in a low-saturated color of the consistent image. Under these conditions, the consistent image disappears most quickly and its harmful effects are thus reduced to a minimum. In practice, if there are several lamps of similar color, the background should be painted in a color close to the color of the sequential image from the main (brightest) lamp. When there are lamps that are completely different in color (red, blue, yellow), the most acceptable solution is to paint them in a light achromatic color with a tint of the color of the consistent image from the main lamp.

The color of the sequential contrast changes depending on which color surface the eye is directed to after exposure to the signal lamp. In the case when immediately after perceiving the signal you need to see a colored control button, read the inscriptions of instrument readings, etc., and the latter turn out to be close to the color of the sequential image that appears against the background of this object, reading will be difficult for the entire time the image fades. Therefore, the color of the object must differ sharply from the color of the sequential image against a given background. In table 4.6 indicates the change in colors as a result of successive contrast.

Consistent contrast occurs under the influence of both colored sources and painted surfaces. However, in the latter case it is much weaker, disappears faster, and its role in color design is insignificant.

The colors of sequential contrast are explained by the three-component theory of Lomonosov - Young - Helmholtz, according to which the retina of the eye contains three types of color-perceiving elements corresponding to the primary colors (red, green, blue). Each type of element is excited predominantly by one of the colors. However, to some extent it can also respond to other rays, and therefore the sensitivity curves of individual types of color-perceiving cones partially overlap each other. Isolated stimulation of one type of element causes the sensation of the primary color; with equal stimulation of all three elements, white color is felt. Colors of consistent contrast appear as a consequence of reduced excitability of those color-sensing elements of the retina that predominantly reacted at the previous moment.

Deviations of contrasting colors from complementary colors are explained by the fact that the excitability of the three main color-sensing elements of the retina does not decrease at the same rate as stimulation occurs. Due to the emergence of successive images, the color of which is, as it were, mixed with the observed colors, the latter change accordingly.

Color irritations are mainly caused by physiological and psychological phenomena. In this regard, it is advisable to mention the theory of mutual induction of nervous processes, which I. P. Pavlov considered one of the basic laws of higher nervous activity. The essence of this theory is that in the circumference (on the periphery) of the point of stimulation, contrasting phenomena occur, which are also observed at the point of stimulation itself after the cessation of the stimulus (irritant). The first group of phenomena is called simultaneous contrast, and the second is called sequential contrast.

Main types of memory

Psychology has several main types of memory. We will consider them sequentially, arranging them in order of increasing complexity.

At the same time, we will limit ourselves only to the analysis of those types of memory that are important for cognitive processes, leaving aside consideration of the phenomena of emotional and motor memory.

The most elementary form of sensory memory is represented by the so-called sequential images.Οʜᴎ manifest themselves in both the visual, auditory and general sensory spheres and are well studied in psychology.

The phenomenon of a sequential image (often denoted by the symbol NB, according to the German term "Nachbild") is as follows: if at some time the subject is presented with a simple stimulus, for example, asking him to look at a bright red square for 10-15 seconds, and then remove this square, then the subject continues to see in place of the removed red square an imprint of the same shape, but usually blue-green (in addition to red) color. This imprint sometimes appears immediately, sometimes after a few seconds and persists for a certain period (from 10-15 seconds to 45-60 seconds), then gradually begins to fade, lose its clear contours, as if spreading, then disappears; sometimes it appears again only to disappear completely. For different subjects, both the brightness and clarity and duration of successive images may vary.

The phenomenon of sequential images is explained by the fact that irritation of the retina has its own aftereffect: it depletes that fraction of visual purple (the color-sensitive component of the cone), which ensures the perception of red color; therefore, when looking at a white sheet, an imprint of additional blue appears. e-green color. This type of sequential image is called in a negative sequential manner. It can be regarded as the most elementary type of storage of sensory traces or the most elementary type of sensitive memory.

In addition to negative sequential images, there are also positive consistent images. They can be observed if you place an object (for example, a hand) in front of your eyes in complete darkness, and then illuminate the field with bright light (for example, a flash from a light bulb) for a very short time (0.5 seconds). In this case, after the light goes out, the person will continue to see a bright image of the object located in front of his eyes for some period, this time in natural colors; this image persists for some time and then disappears.

Consecutive images reflect primarily the phenomena of excitation occurring in retina of the eye. This is proven by simple experiment. If you present a red square on a gray screen for some time and, by removing this square, obtain its sequential image, and then gradually move the screen away, you can see that the size of the sequential image gradually increases, and this increase in the sequential image is directly proportional to the distance of the screen (“ Emmert's law").

This is explained by the fact that as the screen moves away, the angle that its reflection begins to occupy on the retina gradually decreases, and the sequential image begins to occupy an increasingly larger space on this decreasing area of the retinal image of the moving screen. The described phenomenon serves as clear evidence that in this case we really observe the aftereffect of those excitation processes that occur on the retina, and the consistent image is the most elementary form of short-term sensory memory.

Consecutive images can be observed in the auditory sphere and in the sphere of skin sensations, but there they are less pronounced and last a shorter time.

Despite the fact that sequential images are a reflection of processes occurring on the retina, their brightness and consistency significantly depend on the state of the visual cortex. Thus, in cases of tumors of the occipital region of the brain, sequential images may appear in a weakened form and persist for a shorter time, and sometimes are not evoked at all (N.N. Zislina). On the contrary, with the introduction of certain stimulating substances they can become brighter and longer lasting.

Consistent image. Color vision, visual contrasts and sequential images What causes the phenomenon of sequential imagery

More on the topic Sequential images:

Lectures on general psychology

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4.3. Sequential images. Consistent color contrast