Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Interpersonal Relations: Effects of Color on Emotions

When Dealing With Interpersonal Conflict

Michelle Flake

Undergraduate Psychology Major

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Introduction• The study of the effects of color has been

researched prior to 1900– Hatta, Yoshida, Kawakami, & Okamoto (2002)

investigated the effects of color on computer screens • Related to physiological effects

– Jacobs & Blandino (1992) studied the effects of color on paper

• Related to psychological effects

– Soldat, Sinclair, & Mark (1997) and their study on cognitive tuning

• Related to processing strategy

Focus

• The focus of this research is to study the effects of background color on emotions when dealing with situations involving interpersonal conflict.

RED GREEN Angry

Anxious

Suspicious

Depressed

Rational

WHITE19 2317

• A convenience sample of 59 students enrolled in various courses at an undergraduate college

• Participants were voluntary basis as well as classroom subjects

Situation 3

You have entered one of your paintings in an art contest. Your artistic abilities have been developing for some time and you have put a lot of time and effort into this piece. Further, if you should win a 1st or 2nd prize in the contest, then you will be invited to have a showing of your other works. After the judging, you find that your painting has not even received an honorable mention.

•Please rate your emotions for this situation on your answer sheet.

Materials

• Three page questionnaire – Consent form

– Questionnaire• The Situational Self-Statement and Affective State

Inventory (Harris & Chambless, 1979)

• The dependent variables were measured using a 1-5 scale with 5 being “very descriptive of me” and 1 being “very non-descriptive of me”

Below is the scale you will use to rate each situation.

 

5 Very descriptive of me

4 Somewhat descriptive of me

3 Neither descriptive or non descriptive of me

2 Somewhat non-descriptive of me

1 Very non descriptive of me

 

Please circle what you would feel in this situation.

Situation 1

 

1. irritated/ resentful/ angry 1 2 3 4 5

 

2. worried/ concerned/ anxious 1 2 3 4 5

 

3. suspicious/ distrustful/ doubtful 1 2 3 4 5

 

4. calm/ determined/ confident 1 2 3 4 5

 

5. dejected / depressed/ helpless 1 2 3 4 5

Did this situation seem realistic to you? Yes No

 

Did you respond on the questionnaire as you would have responded if the situation had occurred in real life?Yes No

Table 1WHITE RED GREEN

Angry

Anxious

Suspicious

Depressed

Rational

X = 11.41SD = 2.27

X = 10.12SD = 3.14

X = 8.18SD = 2.58

X = 8.35SD = 3.02

X = 8.18SD = 3.14

X = 9.74SD = 2.54

X = 10.00SD = 3.11

X = 8.63SD = 3.00

X = 8.47SD = 2.93

X = 8.63SD = 2.91

X = 10.30SD = 2.03

X = 10.09SD = 2.07

X = 9.13SD = 2.74

X = 8.61SD = 3.13

X = 9.35SD = 2.50

.090

.991

.562

.444

.965

P

Effect of Background Color on Emotion

EMOTIONS

RationalDepressedSuspiciousAnxiousAngry

Me

an

SC

OR

E

12

11

10

9

8

7

COLOR

White

Red

Green

•Graph for the angry emotion

• Results showed no significance for the emotions of anxious, suspicious, depressed or rational

•An effect approaching significance was found for the angry emotion which affected the white group most and the red group least

RESULTS

231917N =

Effect of Background Color on Angry

COLOR

GreenRedWhite

Me

an

+-

2 S

E S

CO

RE

13

12

11

10

9

8

F o c u s

• The focus of this research is to study the effects of background color on emotions when dealing with situations involving interpersonal conflict.

C o n c l u s i o n

• The results of the test did not support the hypothesis.

• White - positive/benign

• Red - negative/threatening

Effect of Background Color on Emotion

EMOTIONS

RationalDepressedSuspiciousAnxiousAngry

Me

an

SC

OR

E12

11

10

9

8

7

COLOR

White

Red

Green

Problems

• Time allotted for the questionnaire to be completed

• Sample Size

Further Research

• In the area of cognitive tuning

• Individual interviews

• Using more colors but possibly excluding white

• Using different simulation