Processing of color words activates color representations

• Published in: Cognition Vol. 111; no. 3; pp. 383 - 389
• Main Authors: Richter, Tobias, Zwaan, Rolf A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-06-2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Color; Color Perception - physiology; Colour; Comprehension; Decision Making; Discrimination (Psychology) - physiology; Embodied cognition; Experiential view; Experiments; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Language; Language comprehension; Lexicology; Male; Miscellaneous; Objective Tests; Photic Stimulation; Psycholinguistics; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reading; Stroop effect; Visual communication; Word Recognition; Words; Young Adult; Language comprehension; Embodied cognition; Experiential view; Stroop effect; Color; Human; Verbal comprehension; Word; Language; Cognition; Experimental study; Embodiment
• ISSN: 0010-0277; 1873-7838
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2009.02.011

Two experiments were conducted to investigate whether color representations are routinely activated when color words are processed. Congruency effects of colors and color words were observed in both directions. Lexical decisions on color words were faster when preceding colors matched the color named by the word. Color-discrimination responses were slowed down when preceding color words mismatched the test color even if no task had to be performed on these words. These findings are consistent with the experiential view of language comprehension according to which color perception and the comprehension of color words are based on overlapping representational resources.