Language, Learning, and Color Perception

Abstract— People perceive colors categorically. But what is the role of the environment (or nurture)—specifically, language—in color perception? The effects of language on the way people categorize and perceive colors have been considered to be minimal, but recent evidence suggests that language may indeed change color perception. Speakers of languages with different color-name repertoires show differences in the way they perceive color. Research shows that categorical effects on color perception can be induced through laboratory training and suggests language can similarly change color perception through the mechanism of perceptual learning.