The Effects of Color on Memory

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This article focuses on the effects of color on memory encoding and retrieval in the classroom. Researchers set out to determine if the color of the paper the material is studied on or the color of the paper the test is printed on has any effect on the encoding and retrieval of information. The researchers did so by conducting two experiments. In both experiments the participants were students enrolled in an undergraduate psychology course at Texas State University. The participants did so in exchange for extra credit in the course. In each experiment none of the participants were informed of the hypotheses until after all data was collected, this blind procedure ensures that there will be no bias or interference with the results of the study. Participants in both experiments were required to read a passage from The Holistic Guide to Canine Health. After given the passage the participants had ten minutes to study the information. After the ten minutes was up they were given a short multiple choice test to complete in the next five minutes. This study set out to determine if certain colors can serve as retrieval cues for information. How well the students did on the test was the dependent variable. The independent variable was the color of the paper the test or article was printed on. This study showed that the test scores were higher for the participants who read the passage on green paper, than for the participants who read the passage on red paper (Martinez, Oberle & Thompson, 2010).
In the first experiment participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The first group would read the passage on red paper and test on red paper, the second group read the passage on red paper and test on green paper, the third read the passage on green paper and test on green paper, and the last group read the passage on green paper and test on red paper. The second experiment was done with all new participants. In this experiment, the same passage was used and same time limit on studying and testing time. However in this experiment, participants were randomly assigned to five different groups. The groups represented what color of paper the test was printed on: red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Students were given the material on white paper and tested on their color group paper.

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