Color tasks are tasks that involve the recognition ofcolors. Color tasks can be classified according to how the color is interpreted. Cole[1] describes four categories of color tasks:
Earlier classification of color tasks did not attempt to be comprehensive, and mainly differentiated between color matching/ordering,pseudoisochromatic plates and color-naming.[2][3] In Cole's definitions, the latter would be denotative color tasks and the others would be comparative color tasks.
Color blindness (or color vision deficiency) is a defect of normalcolor vision. Because color blindness is a symptom of several genetic and acquired conditions, the severity can range drastically frommonochromacy (no color vision) to anomalous trichromacy (can be as mild as being indistinguishable from normal color vision). Congenital (genetic) color blindness causes difficulty in all four kinds of color tasks. However, cerebral color blindness may cause issues only in some types of color tasks, and other conditions that do not affect color vision can still affect color vision tasks (e.g.anomia).
Comparative color tasks require a subject to differentiate two colors. Simple examples include manycolor vision tests, which are specifically modeled as comparative tasks. For example, theIshihara test and otherpseudoisochromatic plates require a direct comparison (and therefore discrimination) of foreground and background colors to be able to read the embedded number/character.
Arrangement tests such as theFarnsworth D-15 also requires comparison of adjacent colors to be able to arrange them in a meaningfulspectrum. In addition to being able to distinguish two colors, arrangement tests also require measuringcolor difference and decision making based on this parameter. Despite the increased complexity of this task, they were not differentiated by Cole,[1] though were by others.[3]
Comparative tasks are the "purest" tasks that rely almost solely on color perception without interference oflinguistics,culture ormemory. Sometimes, color blindness derived from brain damage (such ascerebral achromatopsia) can affect the other color tasks while leaving the comparative color tasks untouched.[4][5]
Other examples of comparative color tasks include:
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Connotative color tasks require the subject to infer implicit information from a color. In addition to color vision, connotative color tasks require either cultural or natural knowledge to interpret the color's meaning.
An example of a connotative color task based on cultural meaning aretraffic lights, which require the test taker to not only recognize the color, but also to interpret the meaning of the color (red means stop). Examples of connotative color tasks based on natural meaning are interpretation of skin tone (blushing,sunburn,pallor, etc.) and interpretation of food edibility (ripeness,doneness, etc.).
Generally, in order to communicate colors, they must first be converted into a meaningfulcolor term or description. Anything that requires this conversion, either from color to description (color naming) or vice versa, is a denotative color task. Denotative color tasks involve bothcolor perception andlinguistics.Aphasia orcolor anomia can also lead to a failure to perform denotative color tasks even when color vision is normal.[6][2] Some color vision tests comprise denotative tasks, such aslantern tests, which require the subject to name the colors of lights.
Aesthetic color tasks requireaesthetic judgments of colors, usually in terms ofcolor harmony, where color combinations can be selected to be pleasing orflattering. Alternatively, colors can be selected for their evocative qualities (such aswarmth or coolness). Aesthetic color tasks are necessary inarchitecture,interior decoration,graphic design,advertising, matching clothes,abstract art, and other applications. Aesthetic tasks are not generally tested for, since aesthetic tasks are highly subjective.[7]