Colour-Object Association

Colour-Object Association

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

The link between a colour and the objects people think of when they see it, such as blue with clear skies and clean water.

What it is

Ecological valence theory holds that liking for a colour follows the average feeling about these objects. Taylor and Franklin also report that colours tied to few objects tended to be liked and colours tied to many tended to be disliked.

In effect

In the article on ecological valence theory, it is used to describe what a colour is attached to.

What it does not say

A link between a colour and objects is not by itself a cause of liking. The direction of the effect is tested in separate experiments.

Sources

  1. Palmer, S. E., & Schloss, K. B. (2010). An ecological valence theory of human color preference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(19), 8877-8882.
  2. Taylor, C., & Franklin, A. (2012). The relationship between color-object associations and color preference: Further investigation of ecological valence theory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 19(2), 190-197.