In 2015, the photograph of a dress divides Internet users. Some describe white and gold, others blue and black. A study does not just take up this imposed choice: it collects the free answers of 1,401 people, some of whom had never seen the image.
The researchers find these dominant descriptions, but also a blue and brown combination. Color choices in a range, beyond simple words, confirm the existence of differences in perception. Some participants even change their response when the image is presented to them again.
The authors suggest that different lighting assumptions contribute to the disagreement. Experience does not solve the whole philosophy of subjective experience, but it shows a measurable difference between observers. The same photograph is therefore not only information placed in front of the eyes: the visual system must also interpret the conditions in which the object appears illuminated.
What we know
Differences observed on a precise image; hypothesis of lighting distinguished from measurements, without total conclusion on qualia.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
Signaler une erreur ou apporter une précision
