Colour Constancy: Colour Interaction between Local Surround and Illumination in Virtual Reality Scenarios

In our study, we used virtual reality to investigate how the colour of an objects surroundings influences colour constancy. Using Unreal Engine, we manipulated lighting and object properties in computer-generated scenes illuminated by five different light sources and presented them through an HTC Vive Pro Eye virtual reality headset. Participants assessed colour constancy by selecting the object that best matched a neutral reference from among five differently coloured options within the scene. Our results demonstrated a significant decline in colour constancy performance when the illuminant colour was in the opposite direction to that of the local surround, highlighting the interactive effects of surround colour and illumination.