An introduction to the experimental psychology of beauty / by C.W. Valentine.

  • Valentine, C. W. (Charles Wilfred), 1879-1964.
Date:
1919
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An introduction to the experimental psychology of beauty / by C.W. Valentine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/136 (page 15)
    two minutes was given. On another day two other colours were given, and so on until each of the nine colours had been presented with each of the others, involving seventy-two experiments of two minutes each. Care was taken to spread the colours fairly evenly over the whole series to avoid monotony. The total amount of time during which the child looked at any given colour was added, ignoring times less than three seconds. [By comparing the scores of each colour with the totals scored by the other colours when they were paired with it we allow for variations of mood and interest on the part of the child. Hence the scores of each colour are given as percentages of the total amount of time that either colour was looked at while the given colour was being presented.] The following were the results approximately : yellow, 80 per cent.; white, 74 per cent.; pink, 72 per cent.; red, 45 per cent.; brown, 37 per cent.; black, 35 per cent.; blue, 29 per cent.; green, 28 per cent.; violet, 9 per cent. I may add that the child was obviously fascinated by yellow, white, and pink, sometimes gazing at one colour for as long as a minute at a time. He was also obviously bored with green, blue, and violet. Of course the yellow and pink were much brighter than the other colours—i.e. there was more white in them. The high position of these colours and of white confirms the results of other observers, that infants are greatly attracted by brightness. If we refer the position of white, yellow, and pink partly to their brightness, we get a result which is not un- like that of Féré. One cannot, of course, generalise upon one set of experiments, especially when they are so difficult to carry out as is the case with very young infants. But the results given by experi- ments upon other children agree with mine in sug- gesting that in the early months of life the most