Abstract
Schloss and Palmer (2011) found that people prefer color pairs that are harmonious, or similar in hue. In the present study, we investigated the relation between spatial composition and color harmony on preference for color triplets. Specifically, we tested whether people prefer similar colors to be closer together than contrasting colors. Participants indicated which of two simultaneously presented displays of color combinations they preferred. Each display contained three squares in a row, spaced such that the central square was closer to one of the flanking squares than the other. In one combination, the central square hue was similar to the closer square and contrasted with the farther square (e.g., a cyan flanking square being closer to a central green square and a red flanking square being farther). The other display had the same spacing, but the opposite color assignment of the flanking squares (e.g., a red flanking square being closer to a central green one and a cyan flanking square being farther). Participants chose the displays in which the similar colors were closer (i.e., congruent color-spatial grouping) more often than when the similar pairs were farther (i.e., incongruent color-spatial grouping). This effect was modulated by hue, however, in that the effect was stronger for differences in redness-greenness than in blueness-yellowness. Explanations will be considered in terms of (a) Berkeley school spirit (Schloss et. al, 2011), (b) visual discomfort, and (c) natural scene statistics (Juricevic et. al, 2011).
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2012