Perception

ProMICAD uses colour-and-shape stimulus-gradients in which each colour or shape is positioned according to its impact on the eye. In the case of colour, impact varies according to the intensity of light-rays and their different wavelengths. Each different hue within the gradient, seen on the same surface, causes the lens of the eye to change its shape in order to focus the colour on the retina. Looking at a red, for example, your lens changes in the same way as it would if you were looking at something nearer to you. For many people this makes red appear to advance and seem nearer than it really is. The opposite is true of blue. It is likely to appear to recede. The psychological implications of this can be great, especially as the eye is an extension of the brain, which in turn responds through a spectrum of affects and emotions, ranging from equanimity through to states of peak excitement. Between the two extremes, the chromatic and gestalt gradients can reflect a wealth of human experience.