Negative afterimages support which theory of color vision?

Negative afterimages serve as evidence for the opponent-process theory of color vision. This theory suggests that our perception of color is controlled by opposing processes, specifically that certain colors are paired as opposites. When one color is overstimulated, the corresponding opponent color becomes less stimulated, and this imbalance leads to the perception of an afterimage in the opposite color when the original stimulus is removed.

For example, if you stare at a bright red image for a while and then look away, you might see a green afterimage. This occurs because the red receptors have been fatigued, and when they are no longer stimulated, the green receptors are more active in comparison. This phenomenon illustrates how opposing colors are processed in the visual system, supporting the idea that color perception is not merely additive, as suggested by trichromatic theory, but rather involves complex interactions between opposing colors.