WASHINGTON: Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used #TheDress to study differences in colour perception – and here’s what they found out
It divided opinion and caused more arguments than any other dress in living memory.But scientists have concluded that a dress seen by some as blue and black and by others as gold and white was in fact both, depended on whether they spend their time indoors or outdoors.The original photo, posted on Tumblr in March, was made up of pixels that were either brown or blue.
A leading neuroscientist, Dr Bevil Conway, has said that the debate over the dress’ true colour is a result of how the brain filters light.
The study of more than 1,400 individuals, including 300 who had never before seen the dress, found that people fell into one of three camps: those who saw blue and black, other who perceived it to be white and gold alongside a smaller blue and brown contingent.
The colours seen by participants are thought to depend on how their brains expect to experience artificial “indoor” or natural “outdoor” light.
Perception of the dress’ colours also differed by age and sex.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology study concluded that those who saw white and gold stripes may spend more time outdoors and therefore be more used to natural daylight.
Those who saw the dress as black and blue were found to be more accustomed to indoor lighting, according to his research.
Dr Conway said: “Your visual system has to decide whether it gets rid of shorter, bluer wavelengths of light, or the longer, redder wavelengths, and that decision may change how you see the dress.”
Older people and women were found to be more likely to report seeing white and gold, while a larger proportion of younger people saw black and blue.
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