Final answer:
Color constancy is the perception of consistent colors of objects despite changes in lighting conditions, explained by the retinex theory where the eye-brain system compares signals from three types of cones. Perception is influenced by an object's relative absorption of wavelengths and its surrounding context. Option A is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Color Constancy:
Color constancy refers to the ability of the human visual system, specifically the eye-brain system, to perceive the consistent color of an object despite changes in the lighting conditions. For instance, a white tablecloth is perceived as white whether it is under sunlight, fluorescent light, or candlelight. The theory that explains this phenomenon is known as the retinex theory of color vision.
According to this theory, there are three types of cones in the retina, each responding to different wavelengths of light. The visual system compares the signals from these cones to assess the color of objects in their context. In this process, not only the colors themselves but also the edges of objects and the comparison to adjacent areas play crucial roles in maintaining color constancy.
This demonstrates that our perception of an object's color is less about the actual color of the light that the object reflects and more about the relative absorption of wavelengths and the surroundings within which the object is seen.
The complexities of how the visual system processes visual information, including comparing adjacent light receptors and being sensitive to contrast at edges, contribute to this impressive aspect of human color vision. Therefore, the answer to the student's question is: (a) objects are perceived to be the same color even if the light they reflect changes.