Similarity of psychological and physical colour space shown by symmetry analysis

Data on the psychological structure of colour space was gathered from a dic tionary of colour terms and by collecting responses to questions of the for m, "which is the more similar pair: A and B or C and D" and "which is light er: A or B?" Where A, B, C, and D were drawn from the eleven Basic Colour T erms. Analysis showed that the data possessed an approximate symmetry corre sponding to the exchange of Red and Orange, Blue and Green, Purple and Yell ow Black and White, Pink and Brown, and "darker" and "lighter." Analysis of a physical model of colour vision showed that a similar symmetry exists in the structure of the space of possible colour sensations. (C) 2001 John Wi ley & Sons, Inc.