2012/06/07 by Adam K. Fetterman, Michael D. Robinson, Brian P. Meier · 1 citation
Psychology · #Color perception and design #Humor Studies and Applications #Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
paper · doi:10.1080/02699931.2012.673477
openalex publication_date 2012/06/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Metaphor representation theory contends that people conceptualise their non-perceptual states (e.g., emotion concepts) in perceptual terms. The present research extends this theory to colour manipulations and discrete emotional representations. Two experiments (N = 265) examined whether a red font colour would facilitate anger conceptions, consistent with metaphors referring to anger to "seeing red". Evidence for an implicit anger-red association was robust and emotionally discrete in nature. Further, Experiment 2 examined the directionality of such associations and found that they were asymmetrical: Anger categorisations were faster when a red font colour was involved, but redness categorisations were not faster when an anger-related word was involved. Implications for multiple literatures are discussed.