Successive contrast Successive contrast occurs when the perception of currently viewed stimuli is modulated by previously viewed stimuli. For example, staring at the dot in the center of one of the two colored disks on the top row for a few seconds and then looking at the dot in the center of the disk on the same side in the bottom row makes the two lower disks  appear to have different colors for a few moments, though they have the same color.296x296px|Metacontrast and paracontrast|alt= 
Successive contrast Successive contrast occurs when the perception of currently viewed stimuli is modulated by previously viewed stimuli. Hermann von Helmholtz: Handbuch der physiologischen Optik section II § 24: ‘Genauer unterscheidet Chevreul die hierher gehörigen Erscheinungen unter dem Namen des simultanen Contrastes von denjenigen, wo zwei Farben nach einander auf derselben Netzhautstelle erscheinen, welche er mit dem Namen des successiven Contrastes belegt.’ In the example below you can use the scrollbar to quickly swap the red and green disks for two orange disks. Staring at the dot in the centre of one of the top two coloured disks and then looking at the dot in the centre of the corresponding lower disk makes the two lower disks briefly appear to have different colours, though in reality their colour is identical. • •• •
R
For example, staring
Hermann von Helmholtz: Handbuch der physiologischen Optik section II § 24: ‘Genauer unterscheidet Chevreul die hierher gehörigen Erscheinungen unter dem Namen des simultanen Contrastes von denjenigen, wo zwei Farben nach einander auf derselben Netzhautstelle erscheinen, welche er mit dem Namen des successiven Contrastes belegt.’ In the example below you can use the scrollbar to quickly swap the red and green disks for two orange disks. Staring
R
center
centre
R
two colored disks on the top row for a few seconds
top two coloured disks
R
center of the disk on the same side in the bottom row
centre of the corresponding lower disk
A
briefly
R
colors for a few moments, though they have the same color.296x296px|Metacontrast and paracontrast|alt=
colours, though in reality their colour is identical.
A
• •• •