Color & Memory
Through a myriad of colors, we perceive the world around us. From advertising placement to scanning social media updates on our phones, color has been found to increase a person’s arousal (Huchendorf 2007). On a daily basis, entire generations, particularly millennials, have become obsessed with certain color schemes and filters to fit their “aesthetic,” pleasing to the eye, in order to attract and maintain an online following. “If color can increase arousal, and arousal can increase memory, then it is possible that we could find that color can increase memory” (Huchendorf 2007). Thus, the relationship between color and memory may be vital to encoding stimuli within the brain’s storage sectors.
Introduction
One study concluded that background color of instructional material can impact student performance positively or adversely depending on their gender: “The cool colors such as blue might enhance women’s learning and warm colors such as yellow might enhance men’s learning” (Singg & Mull, 2017). The color theory also presents descriptions of some perceptual and psychological effects that may occur as a result (Ballast 2002). “Cool” colors, such as blue, are considered restful and also associated with comfort and security. On the other hand, “warm” colors, such as yellow, are seen as active, strong and stimulating.
Many of these authors suggested repeating the experiment with a different design, longer time exposure, and using different colors (Huchendorf 2007; Singg & Mull, 2017;
).
This study sought to answer the following question: Does color impact word memory? If the number of words remembered varies from color to color, then the correlation shall infer that color impacts word memory. It was hypothesized that the number of words remembered would vary from color to color, thus inferring that color impacts word memory. Variables considered to manipulate these factors shall be presented. The independent variable served as the color of paper, whether that be red, orange, blue, or white. The dependent variable preexisted as an individual’s ability to retain word memory. The operational definition would then be the number of words remembered as a result of the experiments conducted.
Methods
Participants.
The test group consisted of 20 participants, 5 guys and 15 girls, ages 18-20, all undergraduate Honors College students Miami Dade College, Kendall Campus. Ethnicities represented included Hispanic, Jamaican, Turkish, and Russian. Participants were randomly selected within the realm of MDC Kendall Campus’ Honors College (whomever was available). There was no control group due to the fact that one could not properly assess the dependent variable, word memory, without involving the independent variable, color of paper. Not many ethical restrictions needed to be considered; subjects participated on a voluntary basis, providing verbal consent. They were informed of the nature both before and after conducting the experiment. Results and other information may be provided upon request.
Procedures.
Various materials were used to conduct the various installments of the experiment. Red, orange, blue, and white colored paper sheets with 15 typed words were printed for use to assess the subjects. This served as the independent variable. A stopwatch documented a uniform set time that each participant would undergo to limit outside factors contributing towards the assessment of their word memory. The variables were not necessarily definitively measured by any means to our knowledge, which may show to be one of the faults in providing sufficient research and background to support this study.
Data collection took place in the fall of 2018. Informed consent was obtained verbally, and all participants were asked to provide standard demographic information. Participants were randomly assigned into one of four color conditions: red or orange—warm colors—green—cool color—or white. There were 5 students in the red color condition, 5 in the orange color condition, 5 in the blue color condition, and 5 in the white color condition. The experiment was also controlled for English fluency, color-blindness, and visual impairments. It was desired that all students participating comprehend English fluently so that there were no differing interpretations on the instructions or terms given. Each test subject was given 15 words on their given colored sheet. All of the words on each colored sheet were printed in black ink. Participants were informed the timeframes in which they were to study and reciprocate these words as well as within their ability. Subsequent to these preparations, they were then asked to study the terms for 45 seconds, pause for a 15 second transitional break, followed by 1 minute to write what they were able to remember. Once this process was completed, the researchers went over the handwritten responses and documented the number of correct answers given per individual case.
Results
Ultimately, the hypothesis was not supported. The findings indicated that there was not a statistically significant difference in the average number of words recalled between the four different colored papers. Various factors may have influenced and contributed to the overall results. The sample size may have been too small, the gender ratio was unequal, the environment in which the experiment was conducted varied per researcher as well as considering the availability of the participant’s location, amongst other things. Upbringing and culture may also have something to do with the dependent variable, word memory, varying between the individuals. This may also be true with their exposure to the independent variable, the color of paper used.
Discussions
Contrary to what was expected, there was no significant difference in recall of the 15 terms chosen among the distinct color categories. These results are also inconsistent with previous research (
There are multiple possibilities as to why this may have occurred. Various factors are due to the differences in how each of the three researchers conducted the experiment with the participants individually. The experiment itself commenced in several different locations, from the somewhat busy Honors student lounge, to inside our Honors Introduction to Psychology classroom itself. Most of these instances had student foot traffic in the nearby surroundings, nor were they in an enclosed, quiet space, though relatively mundane for the most part. Another contributor may have been the size of the test group, which was not only relatively small to begin with a total of 20 college students, but was also uneven on the gender scale, with 15 females and only 5 males. As referenced previously, one study showed that men and women may have different reactions towards “warmer” (e.g., red and orange), “cooler” (e.g., blue), or “neutral” (e.g., white) tones of colored sheets of paper, as used in this case (Singg & Mull, 2017). In that study, men had responded better to warmer tones, while women succeeded more with to the cooler shades. In our study, only certain colors even had males as participants, particularly orange, blue, and white, while red had none at all. This is quite unfortunate, since that previous study seems to suggest that red may have had an increase in word memory for the males. Other variables include the actual papers used themselves, which were ‘construction’ paper or a somewhat rough texture, as well as the shades of red, orange, blue, and white (regular printer sheet) chosen. Though they were not particularly bright, in order to accommodate that all of papers be roughly the same type and work with the printer that would be used to type the terms upon, some tones had to compensate the hue rather than what one would call “true” colors. The arousing versus calming effect may have had an affect on the outcome of the results.
In hindsight, repeating this experiment may prove to be more fruitful if some changes were made. If the researcher was a psychologist and wanted to repeat this study using unlimited
resources, a myriad of processes may have been done differently. One could increase the time of exposure to the color or choose a different selection of colors to print the terms on. Another implementation could be to conduct the experiment in a more controlled environment so as to eliminate outside variables and have each participant subject to the same surroundings and conditions (as this was not the case for this particular study).
There are various applications to this realm of research. As mentioned beforehand, many advertising strategies utilize the arousal advantages of certain colorations to draw in consumers and market products in a way that increases pedestrian memory of such informational advances within the commercial marketplace. In addition, many educational institutions benefit from integration of color as well. For example, within the Honors College at Kendall Campus (the region where this experiment was conducted), one of the professors teaching Honors Art Appreciation requires that his students to partake in creating visual notes for his class. From the researcher’s personal experience, he suggested that her index cards be sorted by designating each country or area discussed by color. This professor also linked various resources citing studies that proposed a myriad of methods to retain memory and maintain mental health to best prepare for college course loads. In turn, teachers could color coordinate their handouts and slideshows, emphasizing the most important points for students as one would by putting a header in a larger, bolder font. Students may use colored note cards and highlighters to aid in their studying.
The process of completing this research study has made the researcher less likely to participate in research study of this particular nature. However, if it were to be of a matter that piqued their interest or fell within their field of expertise, they may possibly be open to conducting yet another.