Color Red And Test Performance Research

EFFECTS OF COLOR ON TEST PERFORMANCE

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Effects of Color On Test Performance
Taylor Alderson, Ovsanna Balian, Jacqueline Christopher, Diana Macias Pasadena City College

EFFECTS OF COLOR ON TEST PERFORMANCE Abstract The present experiment examined the consequences of exposure to the color red and its effects on achievement in test performance. In this study the ink color used to print a test was manipulated to determine the causal relationship between exposure to the color red and test

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performance. Results showed the tests printed in red ink produced significantly lower scores than the tests printed in green, blue, and black ink. This effect was especially pronounced between the green and red test results. This work suggests
The quiz scores were the dependent variable and the colored paper was the independent variable. Participants were given ten-point quizzes over a ten year period involving five instructors and 4,000 test scores. There findings were that students who tested in the white condition performed significantly better than students under the yellow and red conditions. Students with the yellow condition and the red condition performed better than students with the blue condition. They concluded that due to some inconsistencies found during their own research on this topic that more research needed to be done. One example of an inconsistent finding was an experiment conducted by ILaint, Akers, and Hodge (2008). Their study was a replicate experiment involving two conditions. The first condition included the primary colors: the red, yellow, blue, and green condition. The second included the pastel condition: the yellow, green, blue, and pink condition. The participants were 346 male and 230 female undergraduate students. Participants were given a 40 question multiply choice exam based on text book and lecture. Tests were printed on one of the eight conditions including four primary colors and four pastel colors. The number of questions correct was the dependent variable and the colored paper condition as the independent variable. Their findings for the primary color conditions were that students did perform better on white exams than on

EFFECTS OF COLOR ON TEST PERFORMANCE vividly
Although exposure to all primary colors including blue, green and yellow seem to show significantly lower test scores, the color red seems to have the most negative impact on test scores. In 2007, Elliot’s study of the effects of color on one form of psychological functioning: performance in achievement (i.e., context in which competence is evaluated) examined a hypothesis regarding the influence of red on color performance and tested the hypothesis that red undermines performance on achievement tasks. Elliot’s experimental procedure included 71 male and female undergraduate students. They had to be native english speakers and not color blind. The mean age was 18 to 44. Participants were assigned to one of three experimental conditions: the red, green, or black (neutral) condition. Anagram performance served as the dependent variable and the color exposure was the independent variable. Participants were tested individually by an experimenter who was blind to participants, conditions, and the experimental hypothesis. The color green was chosen because green and red are considered contrasting colors in many color models where green carries a signal for “go” in contrast to red which is a signal for “stop”. They used black as a achromatic (i.e., neutral) color. When participants arrived they were given verbal directions for a five letter single solution anagram. The test was distributed in an envelope with a colored number hand written on the front.