Impression Changes of a Male Character by Color of Clothes

Abstract

In the present study, 13 different colors were prepared to paint clothes of a male characters and 39 characters were constructed as stimuli. Participants were requested to rate their impressions for the stimuli using 25 semantic differential scales. The results of the analysis showed that the impression space was spanned by activity, potency and evaluation factors. The stimuli with warm colors were perceived as active. In contrast, cool colors and achromatic colors were perceived as passive. Red and black clothes were perceived as powerful. In contrast, green-yellow, green and red-purple clothes were perceived as powerless. Among the achromatic colors, black was powerful, white was powerless and grey was intermediate. This implies that the brightness of the color affects the potency. On the evaluation factor, blue-green and white clothes were perceived as pleasant but purple-blue and purple were perceived as unpleasant. These results of the evaluation factor may reflect the cultural background.