Separation of the ‘blue’ and ‘green’ mechanisms of foveal vision by measurements of increment thresholds

The curve relating the smallest perceptible intensity of a blue test stimulus with the intensity of an orange conditioning field against which it is viewed shows a characteristic division into low- and high-intensity components, indicating the operation of two mechanisms of cone vision at the fovea. The justification for calling these ‘blue’ and ‘green’ mechanisms is taken from an earlier investigation (Stiles 1939). While most subjects show this division clearly, for some the low-intensity component is masked by the intrusion of rod vision. The correctness of this view is established by measurements made while the eye is recovering from an intense light adaptation. The individual variations of the sensitivities of the ‘green’ and ‘blue’ mechanisms in twenty subjects are assessed. Further evidence is obtained of an anomalously low threshold for the ‘blue’ mechanisms at very high conditioning fields of orange light.