The universal and automatic association between brightness and positivity

Author(s)
Eva Specker, Helmut Leder, Raphael Rosenberg, Lisa Hegelmaier, Hanna Brinkmann, Jan Mikuni, Hideaki Kawabata
Abstract

The present study investigates the hypothesis that brightness of colors is associated with positivity, postulating

that this is an automatic and universal effect. The Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, &

Schwartz, 1998) was used in all studies. Study 1 used color patches varying on brightness, Study 2 used

achromatic stimuli to eliminate the potential confounding effects of hue and saturation. Study 3 replicated Study

2 in a different cultural context (Japan vs. Austria), both studies also included a measure of explicit association.

All studies confirmed the hypothesis that brightness is associated with positivity, at a significance level of

p < .001 and Cohen's D varying from 0.90 to 3.99. Study 1–3 provided support for the notion that this is an

automatic effect. Additionally, Study 2 and Study 3 showed that people also have an explicit association of

brightness with positivity. However, as expected, our results also show that the implicit association was stronger

than the explicit association. Study 3 shows clear support for the universality of our effects. In sum, our results

support the idea that brightness is associated with positivity and that these associations are automatic and

universal.

Organisation(s)
Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Department of Art History
External organisation(s)
Keio University
Journal
Acta Psychologica
Volume
186
Pages
47-53
No. of pages
7
ISSN
0001-6918
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2018.04.007
Publication date
04-2018
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
501001 General psychology, 501011 Cognitive psychology, 604019 Art history
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/the-universal-and-automatic-association-between-brightness-and-positivity(dd9acc3d-1478-4d92-81e2-88d90a63c238).html