Effects of Black and White, Authentic and Contrived Color on Children's Perceptions of Dynamic Picture Content [microform] / Clayton J. Vollan

A study was devised to determine whether, if color is found superior to black-and-white for communicating dynamic picture content, that superiority can be attributed to the realism of authentic color, or whether that superiority is the effect of the simple presence of color. A sample of 90 sixth grade students were shown slides, half of which depicted dynamic events and half showed static situations. The slides were produced in three versions: black-and-white, authentic color, and contrived color (without the normal color reversal step in production). Subjects were asked to write down what they saw immediately after viewing each picture, and their responses were scored for describing picture content as dynamic or non-dynamic. Results supported the hypothesis that the realism of authentic color communicates dynamic picture content better than either black-and-white or the simple presence of color. (SH)