We are collecting data for a replication of Elliot et al. as part of a lab at Avila University. We intend to collect data from 40 participants. We will follow the Elliot et al. protocol closely with several small changes to the protocol: participants in the original study had all materials in one envelope. In our study, the materials will include an informed consent page on top, followed by an envelope with the picture taped inside of a folder, following by the questionnaire. Experimenters will be blind to condition. The faculty supervisor will know which materials are for the "gray" condition and which are for the "red" condition by designating one as "1" and the other as "2." Packets have been prelabeled as "1" and "2" using a random sequence generator from random.org.
We will be receiving the original materials from Elliot in the mail prior to beginning the study.
Original Abstract:
In many nonhuman species of vertebrates, females are attracted to red on male conspecifics. Red is also a signal of male status in many nonhuman vertebrate species, and females show a mating preference for high-status males. These red–attraction and red–status links have been found even when red is displayed on males artificially. In the present research, we document parallels between human and nonhuman females' response to male red. Specifically, in a series of 7 experiments we demonstrate that women perceive men to be more attractive and sexually desirable when seen on a red background and in red clothing, and we additionally show that status perceptions are responsible for this red effect. The influence of red appears to be specific to women's romantic attraction to men: Red did not influence men's perceptions of other men, nor did it influence women's perceptions of men's overall likability, agreeableness, or extraversion. Participants showed no awareness that the research focused on the influence of color. These findings indicate that color not only has aesthetic value but can carry meaning and impact psychological functioning in subtle, important, and provocative ways.
