Hering's Opponent Process Theory

Hering's Opponent Process Theory explains how our visual system perceives colors through pairs of opposing processes: red vs. green, and blue vs. yellow. When one color in a pair is stimulated, it inhibits the perception of its opposite. For example, looking at a red object stimulates red receptors, which briefly suppress green perception. When you look away, the suppressed opponent (green) may become more prominent, creating afterimages. This theory helps explain phenomena like color afterimages and the way our eyes process complementary colors, emphasizing that color perception involves dynamic, opposing neural processes rather than individual colors existing in isolation.