Biography

Now

Postdoctoral student with Dr. Anna Franklin; funded by a DAAD postdoc fellowship. Title: The relationship between colour constancy and colour categorisation.

Dr.

2012: Doctorate in natural sciences, department of General & Experimental Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University, Gießen. Thesis: Colours' appearance in the light of language and experience.

Degrees

2008: University degree in political science, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg. Thesis: The psychological bridge between individual agent and social structure in political theory.

2006: University degree in psychology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg. Thesis: What prototypes can teach us about unknown knowledge.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Focus:

• Colour Vision: Colour categorisation, colour constancy, object colours, colour development, colour preferences.

Methods:

• Focus: Psychophysics, colour rendering, mathematical modelling, instrument calibration

• Other expertise: Eye tracking, developmental and cross-cultural research.

General interests and broader perspective

• Implicit Learning: Automatic perception of structure, feature creation.
• Language: Sapir-Whorf-Hypothesis, linguistic relativity, linguistic determinism.
• Situated Cognition: Environmental and cultural factors of perception and cognition.
• Epistemology: Constructivism, influence of learning and culture on insight.

FULL PUBLICATIONS

In prep

• Witzel, C., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (under revision). Categorical sensitivity for color differences.
• Sorokowski, P., Sorokowska, A., Witzel, C. (under review). Same sexual pattern of colour preferences in Poland and Papua.
• Witzel, C., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (under review). Category effects on colour discrimination. In C. P. Biggam (Ed.), Progress in Colour Studies IV.
• Witzel, C., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (in prep). Categorical effects for equally dicriminable colours.
• Witzel, C., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (in prep). Chromatic Contrast. In R. Luo (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Heidelberg: Springer.
  
  

Articles

• Rothen, N., Seth, A. K., Witzel, C., & Ward, J. (in press). Diagnosing Synaesthesia with Online Colour Pickers: Maximising Sensitivity and Specificity. Journal of Neuroscience Methods.
• Witzel, C., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2011). Is there a lateralized category effect for color? Journal of Vision, 11(12).
• Witzel, C., Valkova, H., Hansen, T. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2011). Object knowledge modulates colour appearance. i-perception, 2(1), 13-49.
• Olkkonen, M., Witzel, C., Hansen, T. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2010). Categorical color constancy for real surfaces. Journal of Vision, 10(9).

Book Chapters

• Witzel, C. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2013). Memory Color. In R. Luo (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Heidelberg: Springer.
• Witzel, C. (2011). Unterschiede in der Farbwahrnehmung. In A. Groh (Ed.), Was ist Farbe? - Bunte Beiträge aus der Wissenschaft (pp. 39-62). Berlin: Weidler.
• Witzel, C. (2011). Farberscheinung und kulturelles Wissen: Der Gedächtnisfarbeffekt für kulturspezifische Objekte . TRANS, 18.

Conference Presentations

• Witzel, C., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2012). Category effects for red and brown. Paper presented at the European Conference of Visual Perception (ECVP), Alghero, Italy.
• Witzel, C., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2012, 10-12. July 2012). No categorical appearance of equally discriminable colours. Paper presented at the Progress in Colour Studies 2012 (PICS12), Glasgow.
• Witzel, C., Valkova, H., Hansen, T., & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2010). Cultural Knowledge Influences Colour Appearance. Perception, 39 ECVP Abstract Supplement, 13.
• Witzel, C., Hansen, T. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2010). Kulturelles Wissen beeinflusst die Farberscheinung. Talk at the 52th TeaP , Saarbrücken, Germany.
• Witzel, C., Hansen, T. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2009). Categorical reaction times for equally discriminable colours. Perception, 38 ECVP Abstract Supplement, 14.
• Olkkonen, M., Witzel, C., Hansen, T. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2009). Categorical color constancy for rendered and real surfaces. Journal of Vision, 9(8):331, 331a.
• Witzel, C., Hansen, T. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2008). Width of colour categories predicted by discrimination thresholds. Perception, 37 ECVP Abstract Supplement, 146.
• Witzel, C., Hansen, T. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2008). Categorical discrimination of colour. Journal of Vision, 8(6):577, 577a.
• Witzel, C., Hansen, T. & Gegenfurtner, K. R. (2008). Wie sich Farben mit den Betrachtern und mit den Zeiten ändern. Poster at the 50th TeaP , Marburg. [Abstract]
• Witzel, C. & Cousineau, D. (2005). What prototypes can teach us about unknown knowledge. Poster presented at the BBCS/SCCC, Montreal, Canada. [Abstract]

Witzel, Christoph and Gegenfurtner, Karl R (2011) Is there a lateralized category effect for color? Journal of Vision, 11 (12). 16. ISSN 1534-7362

Witzel, Christoph, Valkova, Hanna, Hansen, Thorsten and Gegenfurtner, Karl R (2011) Object knowledge modulates colour appearance. i-Perception, 2 (1). pp. 13-49. ISSN 2041-6695

Olkkonen, Maria, Witzel, Christoph, Hansen, Thorsten and Gegenfurtner, Karl Reiner (2010) Categorical color constancy for real surfaces. Journal of Vision, 10 (9). 16. ISSN 1534-7362