Effects of Background Color on Word Recall

Abstract
The effect of background color on word recall was examined. Participants consisted of 28 Valdosta State University students. Students in the color group recalled more positive and negative words that the no color group. These findings were significant.

Effects of Background Color on Word Recall Colors are associated to people in their everyday lives. Color is a powerful illusion and shapes how people do their daily activities. This topic is a very broad and gives a lot of insight on the relationship between color and recall. Many studies have been done to further explore the connection of background color and words. According to a study done by Sagi (1980), color names are better recalled than printed colors. This experiment was conducted to examine if color names or printed colors would be recalled more. There were sixty female and male undergraduate participants. The participants were randomly assigned to one out of three conditions. One group was given six colored words, another group was given six colored Xs, and the last group was given six colored names. Each group was asked to do a recall of the words presented in their specific group. The results showed that there was no difference in recall with the six colored words and the six colored Xs group; however, there was less recall for the six colored names group. According to a study done by Grand and Segal (1966), differences in color and text of words could have an impact on recalling colors. This experiment was conducted to see if participants could recall the colors of words and not the actual words on the cards. The first experiment used undergraduate students that consisted of five females and five males in each group. The students were randomly given a condition for the experiment. One group was asked to recall the words and not the color of the words. The group, however, was asked to recall the colors and not the words. The results showed that the participants would associate the color of words making it difficult to complete what was asked in the experiment. Being attentive and aware has a huge impact on memory of important events. For example, if a student does not pay attention in class, they are likely to miss out on important information that could be coming up on an important test, quiz, or homework assignment. According to a study done by Bunting and Cowan (2005), color mismatch will have an effect on conceptual span. In this experiment, there were twenty-four undergraduate students. The participants were tested individually at a computer lasting anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes. There were four practice trials where each participant would start by pressing the space bar and looking at a list of items with different letters presented on the page. The participants typed the words they remembered. The results were difficult to understand. The experiment showed the hypothesis to be in fact true. In a study done by Sakai, K. Isarida, and Isarida (2010) they were trying to see the effects of context-dependent background colors in free recall. There were three experiments done. 113 undergraduates studied 24 words. These words were on computer screens and there were two different background colors on the screen. After looking at the words, an oral test was given to test the recall of the words. The results were inconsistent in the first experiment, significant in the second experiment, and significant in the third experiment. Knowing that color can play a role in recall is a very important factor; however, it is also important to know how recall can affect younger people and older adults. The effect of memory and age can be a key factor in determining many