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Color preferences in infants and adults are different

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 17:37 authored by Chloe Taylor, Karen Schloss, Stephen E Palmer, Anna FranklinAnna Franklin
Adults commonly prefer blues most and greenish yellows least, but these hue preferences interact with lightness and saturation (e.g., dark yellow is particularly disliked: Palmer & Schloss (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107:8877-8882, 2010)). Here, we tested for a similar hue-by-lightness interaction in infant looking preferences, to determine whether adult preferences are evident early in life. We measured looking times for both infants and adults in the same paired-comparison task using all possible pairs of eight colors: four hues (red/yellow/green/blue) at two lightness levels (dark/light). The adult looking data were strikingly similar to other adults' explicit preference responses, indicating for the first time that adults look longer at colors that they like. Infants showed a significant hue-by-lightness interaction, but it was quite different from the adult pattern. In particular, infants had a stronger looking preference for dark yellow and a weaker preference for light blue than did adults. The findings are discussed in relation to theories on the origins of color preference.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Psychonomic Bulletin and Review

ISSN

1069-9384

Publisher

Guoilford Press

Issue

5

Volume

20

Page range

916-922

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2014-06-18

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    University of Sussex (Publications)

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