Color of computer display frame in work performance, mood, and physiological response

The effects of the color of a personal computer screen on work performance, psychological mood, and autonomic response were investigated. 24 subjects were asked to perform visual tasks presented on the computer display. Three types of computer monitor, which were colored red, blue, or beige, were employed to present visual cognitive tasks. The mood measure, the Japanese Stress Arousal Check List, and heart rate measurement were administered before and after work on each color of computer monitor. Analysis of a low-demand task (Exp. 1) showed that the red computer monitor reduced visual task performance compared to that with the blue, while the blue monitor decreased visual task performance on a high-demand task (Exp. 2). The color of the monitor did not affect mood or heart rate. Based on these findings, the effect of the color of environmental cues on work was discussed.     

材料类型和颜色典型性影响颜色-物体Stroop效应

通过两个实验考查材料类型和颜色典型性对颜色-物体Stroop效应的影响。实验1,考查颜色-物体（图片）Stroop效应。结果颜色典型性差异显著,命名图片的颜色和图片的名称都产生显著的颜色-物体Stroop效应。实验2,考查颜色-物体（词语）Stroop效应。结果颜色典型性差异显著,命名词语的颜色产生颜色-物体Stroop效应,命名词语的名称未产生颜色-物体Stroop效应。结论,材料类型和颜色典型性影响颜色-物体Stroop效应。     

Could sex difference in color preference and its personality correlates fit into social theories? Let Chinese university students tell you

The unclear picture of the sex difference in color preference might result from personality variations. We invited 359 Chinese university students (166 men and 193 women) to undergo a color preference test and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ), a five-factor model test. Depressive trends were measured by the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP). There was no significant difference between men and women regarding either ZKPQ or PVP scale scores. However, men preferred blue and green significantly more, and their preference order of yellow was negatively correlated with ZKPQ Sociability. Women preferred purple, pink and white significantly more, their preference order of gray was positively correlated with Neuroticism-Anxiety, and the order of orange negatively with Aggression-Hostility. Our results suggest that, partly from a biological layout, men as hunters and women as gatherers prefer some different colors on the one hand, but from a social structural layout, they might try to adjust some personality traits by preferring other colors on the other, in order to attain a sex-equality but polychromatic world.     

Sex-Dimorphic Color Preference in Children with Gender Identity Disorder: A Comparison to Clinical and Community Controls

The present study was designed to assess sex-dimorphic color preferences in children with gender identity disorder (47 boys, 18 girls), clinical controls (65 boys, 35 girls), and community controls (65 boys, 35 girls). The mean age of the children was 7.63 years (range?=?3–12 years). Children were shown a hexagon-shaped display of 144 colors extracted from PowerPoint?. Each child was asked to choose his or her three favorite colors (Trials 1–3) by pointing to them, naming them, and then to provide a justification for each choice. From the entire array, children labeled a total of 11 different colors: black, blue, brown, gray, green, orange, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow. For three of the colors (blue, pink/purple, and red), there was evidence for normative sex differences in color preference, and, for the colors blue and pink/purple, the gender-referred children showed inverted patterns of color preference. For the color blue, luminance values showed that the gender-referred boys and control girls preferred lighter shades, whereas the gender-referred girls and control boys preferred darker shades. Qualitative analysis indicated that gender-specific justifications were uncommon, even for the sex-dimorphic colors. Gender-referred children showed inverted gender-stereotyped color preferences, which are likely related to their more general pattern of cross-gender identification. Principles of gender-differentiated development derived from gender-schema theory are used to explain the group differences in color preferences.     

红色和蓝色对中国汉族大学生情绪的启动效应

通过3个实验探讨红色和蓝色对中国汉族大学生的情绪意义。实验1采用限制联想法考察红色和蓝色的情绪意义。实验2、实验3采用启动范式, 分别考察在知觉水平和概念水平上红色和蓝色对情绪的启动效应。结果发现：(1)知觉水平：在唤醒度和优势度上, 红色知觉引发了高唤醒、高优势情绪, 蓝色知觉引发了低唤醒、低优势情绪, 这与国外研究基本一致; 但在愉悦度上, 红色知觉既能引发高愉悦情绪, 也能引发低愉悦情绪, 而蓝色知觉只引发了高愉悦情绪, 这体现出本土化特点。(2)概念水平：在唤醒度和愉悦度上, 红色概念引发了高唤醒、高优势情绪, 蓝色概念引发了低唤醒、低优势情绪, 这与知觉水平基本一致; 但在愉悦度上, 红色概念只启动了高愉悦情绪, 而蓝色概念同时启动了高愉悦和低愉悦的情绪, 这与知觉水平不一致。本研究表明：(1)红色和蓝色对中国汉族大学生情绪引发的特点主要表现在愉悦度上; (2)颜色知觉和颜色概念对情绪的引发机制可能具有如下特点：颜色知觉对情绪的三维度具有直接的引发作用; 而颜色概念对情绪唤醒度和优势度的引发是以颜色知觉为中介, 对愉悦度的引发则是以社会文化为原因。本研究探讨了红色和蓝色对中国汉族大学生情绪的作用, 对红色和蓝色在中国社会环境中的应用具有一定的实际价值; 同时, 直接比较并剖析了颜色知觉与概念对情绪的引发特点, 对于揭示二者对情绪引发的内部机制具有一定的理论意义。     

Pink for Girls,Red for Boys,and Blue for Both Genders: Colour Preferences in Children and Adults

Colours carry social connotations like pink for girls and blue for boys. In a cross-sectional study, we investigated whether such early gender coding might be reflected in absolute colour preferences in children and adults of both genders. In two studies, participants selected their favourite (and least favourite, Study 2) colour from an unrestricted sample of colours. We tested 129 Swiss children (Study 1, 10–14 years-old, 68 boys) and 180 Swiss adults (Study 2, 17–48 years-old, 88 men). In children, we observed that girls chose pink/purple as their favourite hue more often than boys did, the most common favourite hue in girls and boys was blue, and boys chose red as their favourite more often than girls did. In adults, we observed that both genders almost never choose pink as their favourite, blue was a common favourite colour, and women were more likely to favour red than were men. In an additional study (n?=?183 Swiss participants, 47 men), we tested whether liking of pink, blue, and red was related to emotion associations with these colours. Pink was associated with positive emotions to the same extent as blue and red. Women further associated more positive emotions with pink than did men. We conclude that some commonalities (blue) and gender differences (pink and red) exist in absolute colour preferences. These differences, however, cannot be fully accounted by emotional associations. We speculate about these gendered colour preferences in relation to gender stereotypes and status differences between men and women.

     

Hair Color and Courtship: Blond Women Received More Courtship Solicitations and Redhead Men Received More Refusals

Previous research on the effect of hair color on people??s evaluation and behavior has revealed discrepant results and the real effect of both male and female hair color on their mating attractiveness has never been tested. In Study 1, female confederates wearing blond, brown, black or red colored wigs were observed while sitting in a nightclub. In Study 2, male confederates wearing different colored wigs asked women in a nightclub for a dance. It was found that blond women were more frequently approached by men whereas blond males did not receive more acceptances to their requests. However, in both conditions, red hair was associated with less attractiveness. Evolutionary theory and differences in mating preferences are used to explain the blond hair effect. Scarcity of red-haired individuals in the population and negative stereotypes associated with red hair are used to explain the negative effect of red hair.     

青年人与老年人网页颜色偏爱研究

前人研究表明：年龄影响颜色偏爱、抽象颜色偏爱不同于具体颜色偏爱。因此本研究在抽象颜色偏爱实验基础上通过设计高保真网页研究青年人、老年人的网页颜色偏爱（包括主题色及其与文本色的搭配）。结果表明：（1）年龄、性别不会影响网页颜色偏爱。（2）浅蓝色、蓝色比较适合作为网页主题色。（3）网页主题采用不同颜色时,被试对文本色偏爱表现出较高的规律性,黑色、蓝色更适合作为网页文本色。     

Relationship between preference for red and locus of control

The validity of the assumptions about the color red in the Lüscher color theory were examined by correlating preference for red to locus of control and sex. Undergraduates (100 men and 100 women) who scored < or = 8 or > or = 16 on the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale were administered the short form of the Lüscher Color Test. Consistent with the assumptions by Lüscher about the color red, the analysis of variance showed that Internal scorers preferred red significantly more than External scorers, but no sex difference was found.     

学习材料的背景颜色对认知负荷及学习的影响

本研究采用2×2的多因素混合实验设计,探讨了物理学习环境之一的学习材料背景颜色对认知负荷及学习的影响。结果发现：（1）背景颜色在对认知负荷的影响上与任务类型产生交互作用,在解决创造性问题时,暖色调（如红色）背景下的认知负荷显著高于冷色调（如蓝色）。（2）从学习成绩上看,暖色调（如红色）更有利于记忆测试问题的解决,冷色调（如蓝色）更有利于创造性问题的解决。（3）认知负荷与任务绩效呈一定程度相关。     

The politics of color: Preferences for Republican red versus Democratic blue

The present study reveals that Election Day differentially affects the color preferences of US Republicans and Democrats. Voters’ preferences for Republican red and Democratic blue were assessed, along with several distractor colors, on and around the 2010 interim and 2012 presidential elections. On non-Election Days, Republicans and Democrats preferred Republican red equally, and Republicans actually preferred Democratic blue more than Democrats did. On Election Day, however, Republicans’ and Democrats’ color preferences changed to become more closely aligned with their own party’s colors. Republicans liked Republican red more than Democrats did, and no longer preferred Democratic blue more than Democrats did. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that color preferences are determined by people’s preferences for correspondingly colored objects/entities (Palmer & Schloss in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107:8877–8882, 2010). They further suggest that color preferences are calculated at a given moment, depending on which color–object associations are currently most activated or salient. Color preferences are thus far more dynamic and context-dependent than has previously been believed.     

性别化名字对个体印象评价及人际交往的影响

名字在个体印象评价和人际交往中发挥着重要作用。本研究结合刻板印象内容模型, 从刻板印象维护视角出发, 通过3个研究考察了性别化名字的热情能力感知, 基于此探究性别化名字对不同性别个体的印象评价及人际交往的影响。结果发现：(1)人们对男性化名字的能力评价高于女性化名字, 对女性化名字的热情评价高于男性化名字; (2)性别化名字影响男性的能力评价和女性的热情评价; (3)性别化名字影响人们对女性的交友偏好, 热情评价在其中起到完全中介作用; 性别化名字影响人们和男性的共事偏好, 能力评价起到完全中介作用。研究揭示了性别化名字影响印象评价的模式, 并为理解人际交往中名字的作用机制提供了新的研究思路。     

Sex differences in preferences for coffee sweetness among Japanese students

The purpose of the present study was to examine sex differences in preferences for coffee sweetness. The participants were 59 Japanese undergraduate students. Men preferred sweeter coffee than women, while both men and women showed almost the same preference for acidic beverage sweetness. The sex difference in preferences for coffee sweetness may be related to coffee-drinking habits.     

Dressing for success: Effects of color and layering on perceptions of women in business

This study examines the effect on perceived competence of colors and layers in traditional business attire. Forty-five St. Ambrose College Master's in Business Administration program students (11 female, 34 male) judged eight artist's sketches of prospective job applicants varying in sex, color of suit worn (red or blue) and presence or absence of a jacket (layering). Analysis of variance results confirmed hypotheses that a person wearing blue or a jacket was perceived as more competent and properly dressed than a person wearing red or no jacket. Furthermore, these variables had more impact on the perception of male targets than of female targets. Finally, although males with blue jackets were rated most highly, female targets were rated more favorably than males overall. Apparently, while only a particular style of dress is considered suitable for men, a specific business uniform does not yet seem to have fully emerged for women. What has emerged as suitable dress for women seems to be to merely adopt, to some extent, traditional male attire.We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Carolyn Pillers and Michael Jerin for their help in data analysis and Rachel Chouteau for the preparation of artistic materials.     

Autumn leaves and old photographs: The development of metaphor preferences

In order to determine the development of preferences for different types of metaphors, a metaphor preferences task was designed. Subjects at seven ages, from 6 through 20 years, received incomplete sentences followed by metaphorical and literal completions, and were asked to select their preferred completions. The pattern of preferences shifted with age. Metaphors based on grounds involving color or shape were preferred by the youngest subjects; metaphors based on movement or sound were preferred by subjects of intermediate age; and metaphors based on nonperceptual, conceptual grounds were preferred by the oldest subjects. At all ages the most frequently chosen metaphors were those based on a combination of two grounds (e.g., color and shape). Preference for literal completions declined with age, but there was an increase in literal selections in the 8th and 10th grades. This study demonstrates the systematic development of aesthetic preferences in the domain of figurative language.     

Comparison of French and Japanese individuals with reference to Hofstede's concepts of Individualism and Masculinity

The purpose was to examine whether Japanese individuals were oriented toward collective and masculine values attributed to cultures by Hofstede by comparing them with those of French individuals. There were 110 French participants (54 men, 56 women) and 128 Japanese participants (41 men, 87 women), selected from undergraduate students, employed workers, housewives, and retirees. Their occupational proportion and their ranges of age were balanced in both countries. Scales for Individualism and Masculinity dealt not only with work-related but also general items for workplace, culture, education, and family. Analyses generally showed that the Japanese individuals scored higher on the Masculinity scale and French participants scored higher on the Individualism scale. There was a mean difference between Japanese men and women in how they answered questions about the work-related items concerning Masculinity.     

短期习得的语言范畴使成人大脑右半球颜色范畴知觉转为左半球颜色范畴知觉

本研究探讨了色词与颜色重组训练能否让被试习得与真实情境相似的色词与颜色范畴联结, 并引起相应的偏侧化颜色范畴知觉, 从而进一步揭示语言编码对颜色范畴知觉的影响。采用六种蓝色作为材料。B1与B2为先前研究的两种蓝色。B11和B12, B21和B22分别为使B1, B2变浅和变深所得, 四者是连续的蓝色。训练被试分别用“duān”和“kěn”命名B1和B2。由于被试可能习得色词与颜色范畴的联结, 因此B12与B21为可能变范畴间颜色, B11和B12, B21和B22为可能变范畴内颜色。训练前后分别让被试完成一个视觉搜索测验。结果发现：前测中可能变范畴间颜色的辨别优于可能变范畴内颜色, 且在左视野呈现时更显著; 后测中可能变范畴间颜色的辨别同样优于可能变范畴内颜色, 但在右视野呈现时更显著。这提示：(1)人们在知觉同一语言范畴的不同颜色时可能会区分深浅范畴, 并因此引发右半球颜色范畴知觉; (2)短期习得的语言范畴能引起偏左半球颜色范畴知觉, 且使右半球颜色范畴知觉转为左半球颜色范畴知觉; (3)被试在训练中习得了色词与颜色范畴的联结; (4)范畴学习可以在仅学习一个样例的条件下自动发生。     

The Influence of Color and Demand Characteristics on Muscle Strength and Affective Ratings of the Environment

Demand characteristics may influence claims that the color pink inhibits muscle strength whereas blue increases muscle strength. In Experiment 1, undergraduates (N = 59; 30 women, 29 men) were told either that the experimenters thought pink would increase and blue decrease strength or that blue would increase muscle strength and pink decrease muscle strength. A hand dynamometer assessed grip strength as subjects stared at each of 8 differently colored panels. Results indicated that men viewing the pink or orange panels had higher grip strength under pink-strengthen than under pink-weaken instructions. The reverse relationship was found for men viewing a green panel. For women, the pink-weaken instructions resulted in a higher grip strength than did the pink-strengthen instructions, regardless of actual color present. In Experiment 2, women in a no-instruction control condition had lower grip strength than women given the pink-weaken instructions. For men, the control (no-instruction) condition resulted in higher grip strength than the pink-weaken condition. Results of both studies suggest that men followed overt demand characteristics but that women reacted with increased intensity to any suggestion that a stereotypically feminine pink is associated with weakness.     

The influence of color and demand characteristics on muscle strength and affective ratings of the environment

Demand characteristics may influence claims that the color pink inhibits muscle strength whereas blue increases muscle strength. In Experiment 1, undergraduates (N = 59; 30 women, 29 men) were told either that the experimenters thought pink would increase and blue decrease strength or that blue would increase muscle strength and pink decrease muscle strength. A hand dynamometer assessed grip strength as subjects stared at each of 8 differently colored panels. Results indicated that men viewing the pink or orange panels had higher grip strength under pink-strengthen than under pink-weaken instructions. The reverse relationship was found for men viewing a green panel. For women, the pink-weaken instructions resulted in a higher grip strength than did the pink-strengthen instructions, regardless of actual color present. In Experiment 2, women in a no-instruction control condition had lower grip strength than women given the pink-weaken instructions. For men, the control (no-instruction) condition resulted in higher grip strength than the pink-weaken condition. Results of both studies suggest that men followed overt demand characteristics but that women reacted with increased intensity to any suggestion that a stereotypically feminine pink is associated with weakness.