The Color Perception of Dichromatic Organisms

By Andrew DropikBy Andrew Dropik

Prompting For Research

I chose to research this topic after reading and article that discussed the ability of different animals to see different colors.

Background

Organisms such as dogs, cats, horses, cattle, pigs, and mice all have dichromatic vision

Color is perceived using "rods" and "cones" in our eyes

Problem and HypothesisProblem: Can organisms with only two types of rods and cons differentiate colors from one another

Hypothesis: If mice are trained to associate colors with food, then they will not be able to tell the the difference when a new color is introduced

Design of The Experiment

Different food bowls were used to feed the mice treats.

One mice was exposed to all three color bowls during the training process

After 30 days the mice were exposed to all three bowls

Materials

Food bowls

treats

testing environment

all products for the care of the mice

Setup

Quantitative Data First 30 Days

Quantitative Data last 3 Days

Qualitative Data

Throughout the experiment the mice always seemed confused when they were place in the testing environment

Data Summary

The data showed that the mice's times showed no improvement and average times were higher during the last 3 days

Analysis of Data

After completing the experiment I was able to conclude that the mice do not have the ability to tell the difference between colors

Possible Sources of Error

Timing

Motivation

Not enough trials

Possible eye defects in mice

Similar Studies

Vision and Retinal Structure in Mice, By A. E. Hopkins

Gerald Jacobs Experiment

Suggestions for Improvement

Include more trials

Withhold food before testing

Select mice that are healthy and closely related

Further Research

Further research could be done to test dichromatic organisms with light outside of the visible spectrum for humans

What Was Learned

It was learned that organisms with dichromatic vision cannot tell the differentiate between colors like a trichromatic organism

Applications to Society

Could be used to genetically manufacture animals for those with disabilities

Help us understand how animals perceive things