Color phi phenomenon

<h2 id="philosophical-significance">Philosophical significance</h2>
<p>The existence of the color phi phenomenon poses an interesting philosophical problem. When asked to describe their experience, subjects <i>report</i> seeing the abrupt color change before the second dot is presented. However, it is impossible for a subject to actually <i>experience</i> the color change before the second dot has been presented.
</p><p>Philosopher <a href="/facts/Daniel_Dennett/I5bzs3V6">Daniel Dennett</a> utilizes the color phi phenomenon in his argument against a philosophy known as <a href="/facts/Cartesian_materialism/Rzr7zkeq">Cartesian materialism</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> Psychobiologist John Staddon contrasts a simple "new behaviorism" interpretation of color phi with Dennett and Kinsbourne's account. The basic idea is that because of well-known processes such as lateral inhibition, the internal states created by the two stimuli are identical, hence are so reported.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> Alternatively, phi can be explained without Dennett's argument.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a>
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<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Lilac_chaser/kWJuRgHs">Lilac chaser</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Optical_illusion/8wfWwjFI">Optical illusion</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Persistence_of_vision/JqdeCeVT">Persistence of vision</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Phi_phenomenon/YsoUMVmt">Phi phenomenon</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li>An <a href="http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/col-colorPhi/index.html">interactive demonstration</a> of the color phi phenomenon.</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Kolers, Paul A.; von Grünau, Michael (1976). "Shape and color in apparent motion". Vision Research. 16 (4): 329–335. doi:10.1016/0042-6989(76)90192-9. ISSN 0042-6989. PMID 941407. S2CID 19376707. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Dennett, Daniel Clement (1991). Consciousness Explained. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-18065-8. <a href="978-0-316-18065-8" target="_blank">978-0-316-18065-8</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>John Staddon The New Behaviorism: Foundation of behavioral science (3rd edition)| 2021| <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>Bringsjord, Selmer (6 December 1996). "Explaining phi without Dennett's exotica: Good ol' computation suffices". Retrieved 26 September 2023. <a href="https://homepages.rpi.edu/~brings/SELPAP/phi/phi.html" target="_blank">https://homepages.rpi.edu/~brings/SELPAP/phi/phi.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Color phi phenomenon open-in-new

Color phi phenomenon