Date of Award

2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Brian Day

Abstract

The link between color and memory has sparked a lot of curiosity over the past few years. Previous research suggests that color can affect short term recall of word lists (Singg, 2017). Other studies have shown that color can generally help increase object memory (Lloyd-Jones & Nakabayashi, 2009). Color increases attention and emotional arousal, which can lead to better memory of certain objects, words, and ideas (Dzulkifli & Mustafar, 2013). This study aimed to determine if there was a relationship between color, color preference, and short-term recall of a list of words. A total of forty participants were randomly selected. Half of the sample population was given the choice to choose between control black, red, green, or blue pen. The other half was assigned to either a color pen or black pen. Participants were then given a blank sheet of paper and prompted to write down a list of thirteen random words as the words were dictated to them. Upon finishing this task, participants were immediately given a new blank sheet and the sheet with written words was taken away from them. Participants are then asked to write a brief, coherent story using as many words that they can remember from the list. Responses were then collected, read, and the number of words used in the participant response was recorded in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Statistical analysis indicated that there was no correlation between color, color preference, and word recall, suggesting that color and color preference do not affect short-term memory.

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