Context specificity of implicit preferences: the case of human preference for red

Emotion. 2009 Oct;9(5):734-8. doi: 10.1037/a0016818.

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted on color preference using a spontaneous selection paradigm with infant participants. Experiment 1 demonstrated that participants prefer red over green in a friendly laboratory environment. Experiment 2 demonstrated that participants' preference for red varies with the context in which the color is presented: Red is preferred in a hospitable context (following a happy face), but not in a hostile context (following an angry face). The opposite pattern was found for the control color green. Experiment 3 used the same context manipulation, but a second control color, gray, was added to clearly examine whether context affects preference for red only. As predicted, given a second alternative choice, context-dependent preference for red, but not green or gray, was found. These results represent the first evidence of context moderation in the color preference literature.

MeSH terms

  • Affect*
  • Appetitive Behavior
  • Association Learning
  • Attention*
  • Choice Behavior*
  • Color Perception*
  • Discrimination, Psychological
  • Emotions
  • Facial Expression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual*
  • Psychology, Child*
  • Social Environment*