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