Memory Recall of Nouns and Adjectives Expressing Two-Color Combinations

摘要

We investigated impressions of a color scheme can be expressed with nouns or adjectives, and whether nouns (associated with colors) or adjectives (expressing the impression of colors) are recalled first. We used two-color arrangements comprising red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, black and white, from which we prepared 64 pattern combinations. Participants were 20 Japanese college students with normal visual acuity and color vision. Each two-color scheme was presented, and participants were asked to orally respond. Analysis of variance revealed that the total number of nouns produced in this task was significantly larger than the total number of adjectives (p < .05). Additionally, significantly more nouns were answered first (p < .05). Analyses of whether adjectives or nouns were recalled or recalled earlier revealed that nouns are more likely to be recalled than adjectives. There were no significant differences based on the different colors, except in the case of purple.