Object color affects identification and repetition priming.
We investigated the influence of color on the identification of both non-studied and studied objects. Participants studied black and white and color photos of common objects and memory was assessed with an identification test. Consistent with our meta-analysis of prior research, we found that objects were easier to identify from color than from black and white photos. We also found substantial priming in all conditions, and study-to-test changes in an object's color reduced the magnitude of priming. Color-specific priming effects were large for color-complex objects, but minimal for color-simple objects. The pattern and magnitude of priming effects was not influenced either by the extent to which an object always appears in the same color (i.e., whether a color is symptomatic of an object) or by the object's origin (natural versus fabricated). We discuss the implications of our findings for theoretical accounts of object perception and repetition priming.
Uttl
Bob
B
Brain Science Research Center, University of Tamagawa, Machida City Tokyo, Japan. uttlbob@gmail.com
Graf
Peter
P
Santacruz
Pilar
P
D003118:Color Perception; D006801:Humans; D010507:Periodicity; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D014796:Visual Perception