The Effects of Colour on Human Psychological Functioning - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal Form A. Applicant Details Applicant Area/Group: Vision and Cognition – Colour Perception or topic area of proposed study Colour Perception and Cognition: An experiment testing the effect of green on Performance Attainment. What are the aims and objectives of your study? Summary This research investigates the effects of colour on human psychological functioning, specifically the relationship between the colour green and the perceived performance attainment. It has been hypothesised that the colour green does enhance human performance on designated achievement tasks. In the course of this study, an experiment will be designed to demonstrate that a brief perception of the colour green before an important test such as an IQ test does enhance the perceiver’s performance. It is assumed that this psychological effect appears to take place outside of the conscious awareness of the participant/viewer B. Project Details Brief review of relevant literature and rationale for study Rationale and Aims Everyday, we encounter people, objects and various environments which are full of colour. Since colour is ubiquitous in people’s lives, it is to be expected that a lot of research be conducted in the past focussing on the physiology, physics and psychological effects of colour. What is surprising though is the difference in the amount of research that has been conducted on the physiology and physics of colour, in comparison with the amount of research that has been conducted on colour psychology. (Wright, 1998). This study focuses on the effect of colour on psychological functioning and achievement performance, and emerges from applied concerns based on subjective reports of psychiatric patients and speculation. According to Goethe, Goldstein (1942) “the body has inherent psychological reactions to colour that are reflected in psychological experiences and functioning. Colours relative to green and blue are experienced as quieting and agreeable and focus individuals inward. While colours like red and yellow are experienced as stimulating and disagreeable and focus individuals on the outward environment.” (Goethe, Goldstein 1942). Most research that have been conducted on colour and performance show a direct attempt at discovering which colours, if any, boost students’, athletes’, or workers’ performance or productivity. (Rosenstein, 1985) Outline of study design and methods This experiment is designed to discern the effect of the colours green, red and black on an individual’s anagram performance. The colour red will be selected as the chromatic contrast to green, as both colours are considered to be opposite, going by several well established colour models. Additionally, red usually carries the avoidance-oriented meaning to stop, in contrast with the approach oriented meaning to go when a traffic light turns green. The colours black and gray are seen to be achromatic or neutral. Thus black will be used as the neutral colour in the course of this experiment. During the study, the participants will be randomly exposed to each of the 3 colours, resulting in 3 conditions i.e. the green colour condition, the red colour condition and the black colour (neutral) condition. Anagram performance will serve as the dependent measure of the participants’ reaction/performance. The participants’ general ability/scholastic aptitude test (SAT) scores, gender and pre-manipulation anagram performance (i.e. their practice test scores) will be used as covariates, as each of these variables are known to influence participants’ performance in prior experimental work on achievement motivation. Analysis After gathering the data, the anonymous data will be entered by the researcher into an SPSS database and analysed under the guidance of a trained statistician. A unifactorial (colour condition: green vs. red vs. black) between-subjects analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) will be conducted on anagram performance with general ability (i.e., SAT scores) pre-manipulation anagram performance and sex as covariates. Pre-planned comparisons would be carried out in order to examine the specific hypothesis in this experiment. The results would either support the hypothesis that participants who viewed the colour green prior to an anagram test performed better on the test than who viewed red or black. Otherwise, the null hypothesis will be accepted. Debriefing Procedure Upon completing the experiment participants would be given a verbal funnel debriefing that would probe for awareness and suspicion (e.g., “what do you think the test was about?”) and, if colour will be mentioned, queries for specifics (e.g., “Do you have any guesses about what the purpose of the colour is?”). Next, participants will be asked to name the colour of the participant number on their test and will be then debriefed and dismissed. The debriefing statement will contain contact details of the researcher should they have any further questions. The debrief will also reiterate confidentiality and the right to withdraw from the research. (Fehrman, K.R. & Fehrman, C., 2004) Aims and hypotheses This research investigates the effects of colour on human psychological functioning, specifically the relationship between the colour green and the perceived performance attainment. It has been hypothesised that the colour green does enhance human performance on designated achievement tasks. The foremost interest is in testing the hypotheses that green enhances the performance on achievement tasks (here IQ test is used as the focal achievement task). Exposure to the colour green is expected to enhance the performance of individuals on achievement tasks. Sample: Please provide a detailed description of the study sample, covering selection, number, age, and if appropriate, inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion Criteria: About 50 undergraduates from the UK (25 males and 25 females) would be selected to participate in this study. The age range for participation is between 18 to 30 years. Exclusion Criteria: Participation would be only restricted to individuals who do not have any language-related disability and participants must not be colour blind. What resources will you require? (E.g. specialised software, or imaging equipment). The list of resources to be utilised for this study include: 1. A Published list of anagrams 2. Green, red or black ink with a Stanford medium-point pen 3. Empty envelopes, cue cards, writing material (pen, paper etc.) 4. SPSS version 17.0 or later 5. Initial information sheet to be given to participants 6. A Stop watch What are the ethical considerations for your research? . Recruiting Participants During the participant recruitment procedure, emphasis will be placed on voluntary participation, and participants will know that they can withdraw from the research whenever they want. Discussion of sensitive topics and possible offence It is not anticipated that participants will come to any physical or psychological harm during the study, as this experiment only involves solving verbal anagrams. However, there will be contact details of the researcher on the information sheet in case any participants feel that they need support as a result of completing the test. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions about the study. Useful contact details will be provided during debriefing, in case any participant experiences distress during or after completion of the test. Data recorded The participants will initially be provided with an information sheet outlining the nature of the study and informing the participants that they will be participating on a purely voluntary basis. The participants will be required to memorise and state their registration/participation number within four weeks from the study, so as to be able to contact the organisers of the research if they wish to withdraw from the study. In a situation like this, the data of the withdrawing participants will be removed and destroyed. All other data will be stored securely at the research unit for a period of 7 years, after which the data will be removed and destroyed in accordance with the NHS legislation. Where will the research take place? This experiment will be carried out in a university psychology laboratory because the experiment requires laboratory conditions. What are your intended project outcomes (e.g. publications, conferences, seminars, reports etc) Identify journals Outcomes The findings and conclusions from this study will be recorded and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal such as the journal of experimental psychology, to be published. The names of the participants will be withheld and will not be published. A summary of the findings and conclusions of the research will also be made available to the participants in the research. Bibliography Elliot, A. et al., 2007. Colour and Psychological Functioning: The effect of Red on Performance Attainment. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 136(1), pp.154-68. Fehrman, K.R. & Fehrman, C., 2004. Colour: The secret influence. 2nd ed. NJ: Prentice Hall. Gilhooly, K.J., 1978. Bigram Statistics for 205 five-letter words having single-solution anagrams. Behavior Research Methods and Instruments, 10, pp.389-92. Goldstein, K., 1942. Some experimental Observations Concerning the influence of colours on the function of the organism. Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation, 21, pp.147-51. Pressey, S.L., 1921. The Influence of Colour Upon Mental and Motor Effeciency. American Journal of Psychology, 32, pp.327-56. Rosenstein, L.D., 1985. Effect of colour of the environemnt on task performance and mood of males and females with high or low scores on the scholastic aptitude test. Percptual and Motor Skills, 60, p.550. Soldat, A.S., Sinclair, R.C. & Mark, M.M., 1997. Colour as an environmental processing cue: External effective cues can directly affect processing strategy without affecting mood. Social Cognition, 15, pp.55-71. Stone, N.J. & English, A.J., 1998. Task type, posters and workspace colour on mood, satisfaction and performance. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 18, pp.175-85. Wright, A., 1998. The Beginners Guide to Color Psychology. Singapore: Kyle Cathie. Read More