Metamers produce the same cone responses under certain lighting because they have what property?

• A. They produce the same cone responses, leading to identical color perception under some lighting.
• B. They are identical in spectral power distribution.
• C. They only apply to monochromatic light.
• D. They are unrelated to cone responses.

Answer: (D)

Color perception is determined by the pattern of activations in the three cone types. Metamers are different spectra that, under a given illumination, stimulate the cones in the same way—producing the same triple of cone responses. Because the brain interprets color from those cone signals, the two spectra look identical even though their actual spectra differ. The key property is that they yield the same cone excitations under the lighting being used, not that their spectra are identical, nor that the effect is limited to monochromatic light, and they are very much tied to cone responses.