Final answer:
The phenomenon where the perception of a stimulus continues briefly after its removal is known as a negative afterimage, and it is an example of the opponent-process theory of color vision.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon in which the perception of a stimulus persists for about 250 milliseconds after the stimulus is physically terminated is known as a negative afterimage. This occurs when the sensory receptors, specifically the retinal ganglion cells, continue to fire even after the stimulus has ended. The appearance of a negative afterimage supports the opponent-process theory of color vision, where gazing at a specific color for a certain duration can lead to the perception of its opposite or complementary color when the gaze is shifted to a neutral background. For example, staring at a green dot for a period of time and then looking away to a blank surface would typically result in the person seeing a red afterimage, red being the complementary color to green.
This is a typical demonstration of how our sensory system, particularly our visual system, processes and adapts to environmental stimuli. The occurrence of a negative afterimage can also be explained through the concept of sensory adaptation, where the neurons, after being strongly stimulated, reduce their response over time if the stimulus remains constant.