An Exploration of the Interaction between Variation in Wavelength and Time Perception

Abstract

The interaction of color wavelength and perception was evaluated during two experiments. The first study used a time-estimation task which included controls for both stimulus duration and frequency. The second study required production of duration using the same colors and three time periods to be reproduced by the participant according to stimulus cues. Based upon previous research, it was hypothesized that exposure to long-wavelength stimuli would yield shorter time estimations than exposure to short-wavelength stimuli. The results supported the assumption that stimuli of different color wavelengths differentially alter perception and psychological activation; however, the effects were not related to systematic alterations of wavelength.