Color-Grapheme Associations in Non-Synesthetes: Evidence of Emotional Mediation

Complex Shapes Are Bluish, Darker, and More Saturated; Shape-Color Correspondence in 3D Object Perception

It has been shown that there is a non-random association between shape and color. However, the results of previous studies on the shape-color correspondence did not converge. To address the issue, we focused on shape complexity among a number of shape properties, particularly in terms of 3D shape, and parametrically manipulated the shape complexity and all three components of color. With two experiments, the current study aimed to closely examine the correspondence between shape complexity of 3D shape and color in terms of hue (Experiment 1), luminance, and saturation (Experiment 2). Participants were presented with the 3D shapes in either visual or visuo-haptic modes of exploration. Subsequently, they had to pick from a color palette the color best matching each shape of the object. In Experiment 1, we found that as shapes became more complex, the best associated hue changed from those with long wavelengths to ones with short wavelengths. Results of Experiment 2 demonstrated that as the shapes grew more complex, the associated luminance decreased, and saturation increased. Additionally, adding haptic exploration to visual exploration strengthened the association – for saturation in particular – with the pattern of shape-color correspondence maintained. Taken together, we demonstrated that complex shapes are associated with bluish, darker and more saturated colors, suggesting that shape complexity has a systematic relationship with color including hue, luminance, and saturation.

A Critical Analysis of Colour-Shape Correspondences: Examining the Replicability of Colour-Shape Associations

Research on the topic of colour-shape correspondences started in the early 20th century with the Bauhaus artist Wassily Kandinsky. However, more recently, the topic has been examined using the empirical framework of crossmodal correspondences research. The field remains one in which consistent results and generalisable hypotheses about the existence and nature of colour-shape correspondences are lacking. The replicability and consistency of findings concerning colour-shape correspondences are examined in three online colour-shape matching experiments using the same procedure and study design while varying the sets of shape stimuli that are evaluated. Participants matched one of 36 colours to each shape as well as made preference and arousal appraisal ratings for each of the shapes and colours. The complexities of analysing colour-shape correspondence data are discussed and illustrated by classifying and analysing shape and colours in a variety of different ways, including using continuous perceptual and objective measures. Significant colour-shape associations were found. However, as hypothesised, limited consistent results in regard to what perceptual shape characteristics predicted colour choices were documented across the three stimuli sets. This was the case both within and across different analysis methods. The factors that may be responsible for these inconsistencies are critically discussed. Intriguingly, however, evidence for emotional mediation, whereby shape and colour liking and arousal appraisals appear to influence the colour-shape correspondences made by participants, was found across all three experiments.

Put on that colour, it fits your emotion: Colour appropriateness as a function of expressed emotion

People associate affective meaning with colour, and this may influence decisions about colours. Hue is traditionally considered the most salient descriptor of colour and colour-affect associations, although colour brightness and saturation seem to have particularly strong affective connotations. To test whether colour choices can be driven by emotion, we investigated whether and how colour hue, brightness, and saturation are systematically associated with bodily expressions of positive (joy) and negative (fear) emotions. Twenty-five non-colour-blind participants viewed videos of these expressions and selected for each video the most appropriate colour using colour sliders providing values for hue, brightness, and saturation. The overall colour choices were congruent with the expressed emotion--that is, participants selected brighter and more saturated colours for joy expressions than for fear expressions. Also, colours along the red-yellow spectrum were deemed more appropriate for joy expressions and cyan-bluish hues for fear expressions. The current study adds further support to the role of emotion in colour choices by (a) showing that emotional information is spontaneously used in an unconstrained choice setting, (b) extending to ecologically valid stimuli occurring in everyday encounters (dressed bodies), and

The semantics of biological forms

This study analyses how certain qualitative perceptual appearances of biological forms are correlated with expressions of natural language. Making use of the Osgood semantic differential, we presented the subjects with 32 drawings of biological forms and a list of 10 pairs of connotative adjectives to be put in correlations with them merely by subjective judgments. The principal components analysis made it possible to group the semantics of forms according to two distinct axes of variability: harmony and dynamicity. Specifically, the nonspiculed, nonholed, and flat forms were perceived as harmonic and static; the rounded ones were harmonic and dynamic. The elongated forms were somewhat disharmonious and somewhat static. The results suggest the existence in the general population of a correspondence between perceptual and semantic processes, and of a nonsymbolic relation between visual forms and their adjectival expressions in natural language.

The hue of concepts

The study shows a systematic naturally biased association between percepts and concepts. Specifically, it shows that a series of terms pertaining to an abstract semantic field (related to the frame of ethics in social behaviour) has a nonrandom, highly significant, association with colours (hues). This is the first time that consistent associations between abstract terms and colours have been reported in the general population. The main hypothesis, ie that there appear to be 'hues of concepts', was borne out by the results: the abstract terms considered were coloured with blue/green (ie cool) colours as well as their synonyms, while their antonyms were coloured with red/yellow (ie warm) colours. The association provides information about the nature of abstract concepts and their relationship with perception. It also sheds light on the interrelations among words in semantic domains that, to date, have been studied from only a computational viewpoint.