Citation Exercise

Recently, researchers have been uncovering startling evidence that color has a number of unexpected effects on human psychology. Blue, long thought to be a soothing color, has also been found to heal brain aneurysms. A study at Mt. Hopeful Hospital in Boston revealed that patients who were assigned rooms decorated in shades of blue healed 27% faster on average than patients who were assigned hospital rooms in standard shades of puce and olive (Balderdash Adam, 1999, p. 12). “It’s absolutely remarkable,”( Dr. Damen Dip), lead researcher in the study. On the other hand, another study conducted at Cedars National Asylum in Great Britain, concluded that red, commonly believed to be a color that excites passions, also raised intelligence levels (Dr. Ditherington et al, (1998). “Our clients are people whose IQs are below normal,” said (Dr.Ditherington, pg 96), “but when we made them work and study in rooms painted red, they made tremendous intellectual strides. It’s just an amazing development.” Homeland Security News reported red has also been found to increase psychic abilities. Subjects who worked in red rooms scored an average of 14% more hits on a standard card match test than subjects who worked in rooms of other colors, excluding red. The possible improvement in national security is one reason that the US Department of Homeland Security chose red as the color code indicating the highest terrorism alert level. The Science Behind Terrorism Color Codes,( pg. 23). www.junkscience?.com (2000) disagrees, though. Red means danger, nothing more, asserts the website, citing scientific studies. Some colors produced results that flew in the face of commonly accepted knowledge, according to a report. Green, usually considered a healing color, promoted nightmares when people were forced to sleep in green rooms in beds with green sheets and covers Gaggengorch Adrian (1997). Also, one study of 1400 high school students in Cleveland showed that the color orange put students to sleep (p. 32).
Psychologist Howard H. Howard (1999) disputed those results. In “Researchers are Color Blind,” Howard claimed that it was the boring French lesson, rather than the orange color of the classroom, that caused the sleepiness, and he further asserted that the nightmares experienced by subjects who slept in the green rooms could have been caused by the anchovy casseroles that were routinely served for dinner. Don Wishiwashi said, “We must be careful not to jump to conclusions,” president of Wishiwashi Research. He continued, “However, the fashion and home decorating industries are certainly viewing the results with extreme interest.” “There could also be important implications for education and health care ”(D. Wishiwashi, October 24, 2001). J