Korean Journal of Cognitive Science (인지과학)

The Korean Society for Cognitive Science (한국인지과학회)
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Gender difference in the figure-ground organization of red-green color combination

빨강-초록 조합에 대한 전경-배경 조직화에서 성차

  • Oh, Songjoo (Department of Psychology, Seoul National University)
  • Received : 2014.03.28
  • Accepted : 2014.04.11
  • Published : 2014.06.30
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Abstract

It has been suggested that primates' trichromatic color vision is an adaption for folivory and frugivory. Ripened fruit frequently is red against a green background. Given this, the question for our research was whether the ecological relationship between red and green plays any role in figure-ground organization that is an essential step in forming our perception of objects? In this study, it was tested which color looked most strong as a figure, using a red circle on a green background and a green circle on red background. The results of Experiment 1 showed that most participants saw the red circle for the figure more than the green circle. However, this effect was significant only in females, but not in males. Accordingly, this result suggests that the visual development of figure-ground organization based on red-green color combination may differ between males and females. In Experiment 2, it was surveyed that the results of Experiment 1 was simply not by the sex difference of color preference. The gender difference of the figure-ground organization on red-green stimuli are discussed in terms of some recent hypotheses such as gatherer-hunter hypothesis.

인간은 다른 포유류와 달리 삼원색 시각을 가지며 초록과 빨강을 잘 구분한다. 인간이 삼원색 시각을 갖게 된 원인에 대해서 익은 과일 가설(frugivory hypothesis) 지지자들은 초기 인류가 초록 잎에서 빨갛게 익은 과일을 구별하여 섭식하려는 행동 때문이라고 주장한다. 본 연구는 과연 빨강-초록 조합이 물체재인의 전 단계로 알려진 전경-배경 조직화에 영향을 주는지를 살펴보고자 하였다. 빨간색 원이 초록 바탕에 놓이거나, 초록색 원이 빨강 바탕 위에 놓여 참여자에게 제시되어, 어느 쪽이 더 전경처럼 보이는지를 조사하였다. 그 결과, 여성이 빨간색 원을 더 전경으로 보는 경향이 강했고, 남성은 유의미한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 또한, 이 결과는 단순히 남녀의 색깔 선호 때문이 아니었다. 종합하면, 본 연구의 결과는 비록 직접적은 증거가 될 수는 없지만, 빨강-초록 조합에 대한 남녀의 전경-배경 조직화 처리과정에서 차이가 있을 가능성이 조심스레 제기된다. 여성은 집 근처에서 먹을 것을 수집하고 남성은 집 멀리에서 사냥한다는 수집-사냥 가설(gatherer-hunter hypothesis)을 비롯해 가능한 설명들을 논의 하였다.

Keywords

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