Abstract
We investigated how object context influences color preferences by comparing preferences for "contextless" colored squares with preferences for colors of a variety of objects (e.g., walls, trim, couches, throw pillows, dress shirts/blouses, ties/scarves, and T-shirts). In Experiment 1 we found that hue preferences for contextless squares generalize relatively well to hue preferences for imagined objects, with substantial differences occurring in the saturation and lightness dimensions. In Experiments 2 and 3 we found that object color preferences are relatively invariant when the objects are (a) imagined to be the color that is presented as a small square, (b) depicted as colored images of objects, and (c) viewed as actual physical objects. In Experiment 4 we found that object color preferences are related to the degree to which colors help objects fulfill particular functions or outcomes. We also considered relations between our results and theories of color preference.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2012