Study Has Researchers Seeing Red
Every motorist knows the meaning of a red traffic light. Red is used to warn of danger or to mark wrong answers on tests. Researchers at the University of Rochester say that not only does the color red command drivers to stop their cars, the color red can impact test scores and performance.
In four experiments, the authors of the study found that if subjects even saw a hint of the color red before taking a test, it caused them to do poorly. The association of red with mistakes and failure is so ingrained that being shown the color red before a test diminished the subject’s ability to do well. Two more tests showed that red influences motivation.
The findings were published in an article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. The lead author, Andrew J. Elliot, is a professor of Psychology at the University of Rochester.
The article’s hypothesis is based on the idea that color can evoke motivation and have an effect without the subject being aware of it. “It leads people to do worse without their knowledge,” says Elliot, when it comes to academic achievement. In one of the six tests given, for example, people were allowed a choice of questions to answer. Most of them chose to answer the easiest question, a classic example of how to avoid failure.
