Abstract
The expected color of an object influences how it is perceived. For example, a banana in a greyscale photo may appear slightly yellow because bananas are expected to be yellow. This phenomenon is known as the memory color effect (MCE), and the objects with a memory color are called “color-diagnostic.” The MCE is theorized to be a top-down influence of color knowledge on visual perception. However, its validity has been questioned because most evidence for the MCE is based on subjective reports. Here a change detection task is used as an objective measure of the effect and the results show that change detection differs for color-diagnostic objects. Specifically, it was predicted and found that unnaturally colored color-diagnostic objects (e.g., a blue banana) would attract attention and thus be discovered more quickly and accurately. In the experiment, two arrays alternated with the target present in one array and absent in the other while all other objects remained unchanged. Participants had to find the target as quickly and accurately as possible. In the experimental condition, the targets were color-diagnostic objects (e.g., a banana) presented in either their natural (yellow) or an unnatural (blue) color. In the control condition, non-color-diagnostic objects (e.g., a mug) were presented with the same colors as the color-diagnostic objects. Unnaturally colored color-diagnostic objects were found more quickly, which suggests that the MCE is a top-down, preattentive process that can influence a nonsubjective visual perceptual task such as change detection.
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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files (https://osf.io/a3xm5/wiki/home/).
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Notes
A 2 × 2 within-subject ANOVA, with the independent variables color and object type, was conducted on the log median RTs. Its results show a significant interaction of color and object type, F(1, 27) = 12.25, p = .002; Eta2 = .31; power = .92, confirming that the color choices had a reversed effect for color-diagnostic objects compared to non-color-diagnostic ones. No other effects were significant.
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Author note
This study was funded by PAC/G21 Award to A.C. from Glendon College and NSERC Discovery Grant to PC (RGPIN-2019-03989).
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Authors contributed to the paper as follows: A.C.: study conception, experiment design and execution, interpretation of results, writing. P.C.: supervision, review and editing. J.R.: supervision, review and editing. All authors: data analysis.
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Cutler, A., Rivest, J. & Cavanagh, P. The role of memory color in visual attention. Atten Percept Psychophys 86, 28–35 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-023-02714-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-023-02714-4