Empra-Poster

Red Alert: Assessing the Impact of Color Exposure on Cognitive Performance

Title

Red Alert: Assessing the Impact of Color Exposure on Cognitive Performance

AutorInnen

Schimmel, D., Paschold, K., Donle, i., Oberhofer, S., Dieterle, H.

Abstract

10

Poster 3: Red Alert: Assessing the Impact of Color Exposure on Cognitive Per- formance Hannes Dieterle; Isabel Donle; Sebastian Oberhofer; Dominik Schimmel; Kristien Paschold The color red has long been associated with failure and negative feedback. El- liot et al. (2007) reported that exposure to the color red significantly impaired cognitive performance. This study aimed to replicate these findings. We im- proved upon the original methodology in several ways: First, we employed the recently validated intelligence test HeiQ to assess cognitive performance. Sec- ond, we aimed to increase the level of standardization in the procedure by con- ducting the study online. Lastly, we increased the sample size to 166 partici- pants after exclusions to increase statistical power. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three color conditions – red, green or gray – before complet- ing the intelligence test. The respective color was implemented by colored bars and clicking boxes on the test screen. We conducted an ANOVA with a priori defined contrasts to compare the performance in the red condition to the per- formance in the control conditions. Statistical analysis failed to show any signif- icant difference. The discrepancy in results may stem from the fact that this study was conducted online instead of in person and that the experimental ma- nipulation differed from the one in the original study. The results of this study scrutinise a universal effect of red on cognitive performance.

Schlagworte

cognitive performance, color, red