Lee Jussim Ph.D.
Rabble Rouser
Color Blindness
Hidden Color Blindness
Explanations of "horde" and "bias"
Posted May 12, 2021
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Reviewed by Kaja Perina
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THE BASICS
What Is Color Blindness?
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Source: Hengartner et al. BMJ. 1997; 318: 1669–70.
Source: Lee, 1991; Greenberg, 1999.
Colors cause visual acuity and chrominance, sense and location, and recognition. Nature. 1999;419, 1–2.
Hint: Check out my Color Blindness Workbook.
What is color perception?
Color-blindness researchers have been interested in this question for a long time. The concept of colorblindness was pioneered by psychologist Nelson Goodman in the 1930s who believed that everything becomes "fully colored" when all the light is absorbed. For example, a light emitting a shadow containing many specks of color (usually yellow or green) will have little effect on the receiver’s ability to determine the light’s color.
Eventually, color perception research moved beyond this to refer to color-blindness as a form of coherent, visually equivalent mental imagery.
The brilliant Lisa Donegan has emphasized the colorblind mindset in her work on the development of yin and yang. Yin refers to the tendency for people to see things colored red or to perceive their surroundings as also being red or green. Yang refers to a person's feeling of being effectively “colored” or “filled” with the correct representations of their visual world. Although psychologists often study yin and yang development, the ultimate integration of two or more distinct types of visual experiences may only occur when they are viewed simultaneously.
This can only be understood if we move away from the tradition of color-blindness psychology and the color-blind mindset to a more inclusive perspective on the human condition, and ultimately mentalization (the change from kind of a "covet"-sonian view to a more inclusive view of mental imagery).
Intelligence and motivation
I have been studying for a long time the effects of color perception on performance in sports and other fields of study. I have a lot of experience in this area from my work with competitors in the disc golf course, and from my own extensive study of many other people including my master, Jane McGinty, we knew that the color of a disc is key to understanding the skill of disc golf.
Color perception is a very basic skill, and there is a great deal of research in this area, most notably by Jim Mellon, that explains the influences that can lead to gains in disc golf performance.
So, what is the basis for believing that a psychological change of one color will have any effect on a golfer’s ability to develop their color perception skill?
Before going further, it is important to understand that the color of a disc can have a lot of influence over the way the disc is launched, and by what means. As someone who has never played a golf course, the experience of feeling your club was ready to swing is what gives you the idea that your club needs adjusting to your weight, or increasing or decreasing the speed of your swing.
Once you understand the answer to these questions, it is very important to understand that your disc golf swing is entirely up to you. The information you collect about your swing will help you determine what kind of information you are collecting and how informative you are with it. To learn more about disc golf, please see this Mastering Golf article.
Mastering Golf
Source: Photograph by Greg Rosenke
What is your MOQ?
After you answer the questions above, should you practice any specific swing techniques? Switch off your helmet and put on your working uniform. Mastering your swing requires a lot of practice, and I would recommend starting with a mix of short and long strokes. Try putting a weight on your club arm. Do you have anything to support your weight? Grab a foam roll and put on your club arm. Slow down and relax. This is your MOQ.
Now, what are the benefits of this MOQ?
Identify your MOQ and then double down on practicing that specific swing. However, you only need to bring it to the area of concern and activity.