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Peter Vsevolodovich Yan'shin  

Psychology and psycho-semantics   OF COLOR   psychology      psycho-semantics       of color          psycho-semantics

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Last renovation of page 07.01.04

On this page are placed theses and the definitions, protected in the doctoral thesis of the author at the session of dissertation advice D 501.001.14 at the Moscow State University of M.V.Lomonosov 7-th of June 2001. Leading organization: Institute of psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Conclusions of the doctorial dissertation 

Theoretical  conclusions of the dissertation

1. Color, as the totality of all nuances, is the specific semiotic structure, isomorphous to the structure of physiological and emotional reactions and to the most general (most common) system qualities of reality, that are revealed to subject in the structure of his activity. 

2. Realized experience is legitimate to consider as the functional organ of the perception of the emotional values of colors.

3. As the categorial structures, which determine the semantic heterogeneity of colors, come forward the mechanisms of the autonomous regulation of vegetative tone, inflow of external and internal stimulation, regulation of emotional state, the categorial structures, which represent to subject the Self-concept. It is  legitimate to consider the above levels of the regulation of behavior as the contexts of the interpretation of color meanings.

4.Specific color can be considerd as the symbol of all objects of reality, which possess specific to this color characteristics and significances in the structure of the subject's activities. In the context of specific activity the color appears as symbol and the carrier of the general idea of certain vital relations. "Colorfulness", being it is begun to operate in a specific manner independent of "objectivity", contains not this objectivity, but certain emotional beginning, which in the specific etnokul'turnykh situations is correlated with the vitally important signs/criteria of the wide circle of the objects/subjects, which are actualized in the structure of the activities of subject.

5. besides the metaphorical adding (for example, "dark-blue stocking") and the expressive adding (compiling the coloring of figure or" color portrait "with geterootsenke) there is an effect of perceptive adding of colors to the received means, connected/bonded with the psychological and physiological state and the mood of subject - as the unconscious visualization of mood in the form of the characteristic distortion of the coloring of the received means.

6. there are steady stylistic special features of the color perception, connected/bonded with the steady psychological characteristics of subject.People with the different structure of personality and in the different emotional state are inclined to see peace/world literally in the different color, or as through the different light filters, the "cutting" different sections of visible spectrum.

7. action of color and perceptive adding of color to means are correlated with one and the same emotional state for the specific color. these unconscious regularities are projected into the developed structures of verbal values, which is fixed in the steady vocal revolutions ("gloomy mood ", "iridescent mood", etc.).

8. colors in the ideas are the form of the manifestation of emotions, which is analogous with the phenomenon of perceptive adding of color in intrinsic field of consciousness.The perception of color and its idea is defined by example by the perceptive standards, which are modal nonspecific, or in their structure they contain the emotional component, sufficient for the identification of color.emotion it is justifiable/legitimate to consider as the generating factor for the color- ideas.

9. people is oriented in an internally specific manner to the colors.this first of all the emotional (estimated) orientation, closely related to the physiological and psychological state and the self-appraisal of subject.Disruption of this orientation directly corresponds to the disturbance/breakdown of psychological adaptation.

10. colors visible outside change the psychological state of man analogously how the coloring of our picture of peace/world changes under the effect of the psychological state.That subjectively is survived as emotion, in the peace/world external with respect to the man exists in the form of colors (coloring).In this sense it is possible to assert that the concrete/specific color (its perceptive form) is the symbol of its own action on the subject.

11.The konnotativnye correlate of color sensation possess constancy in the historical perspective and play important role in the process mapping in the subjective means of the integral picture of peace/world.

12. Synesthesia - this is not only the universal operator of the mutually-transformations of the "material" of modalities, but also the "mold" of the most generalized system connections/communications of objective peace/world in that form, in which they are revealed with respect to the integral subject in the structure of his activities. Synesthesia mediate the translation of color value into the contexts of different perceptive modalities.They mediate the projection of color value in the plane of developed verbal categorial structures, that also determines the "vertical" structure of color value.Applied conclusions/derivations of the study:

13. connection/communication of the preference- rejection of color with the luminous (bright) characteristic should be examined independent of its connection/communication with the tone characteristic.

14. subject unconsciously uses colors as the means of the optimization of the processes of emotional regulation and intra-personal adaptation.Warm colors are preferred if necessary to support active mode, if it is necessary to reduce stress/voltage - cold.Analogously act the unconscious regulator mechanisms, compensating changing thresholds of response to the appropriate nuances of color.

15. sign of the connection/communication between the preference of color and the thresholds of response to it is opposite for the cold (especially dark-blue) and warm region of the spectrum.Is most tight with the sensitivity to the colors (total reduction in the thresholds) connected/bonded the preference of red and yellows.In contrast to the red and the yellow, the preference of dark-blue color is predominantly connected/bonded with reduction in the sensitivity to the colors (raising the thresholds), including to cinema to color.

16. dark-blue (blue) color stands by house from the remaining chromatic colors:sensitivity to it can rise during reduction in the sensitivity to the remaining colors.this is observed with the lowered/reduced mood, the weakening and the passiveness, but not degree of activation, intensity/strength and readiness for the action, which is characteristic for the sensitivity to the remaining colors.

17. there is a polarization of emotional estimations/evaluations (preference - rejection) with respect to the warm and cold poles of spectrum;this polarization is ambivalent. This phenomenon is most noticeable, when the colors, which are associated with the positive emotions, are evaluated as unpleasant, and vice versa. The ambivalence of relation to the cold and warm colors can be explained by the difference between the objective/object or subject installations of observer.these installations are characteristic for the conscious level of color semantics, which depends on the psychological context of perception and estimation/evaluation of color. The subject context includes the emotions in the broadest sense of the word, connected/bonded with the physical "organism" sensations, the physical state and the "pragmatic", utilitarian relation to the color. The objective/object context includes the more intellectualized estimated characteristics, subjectively correlated with the outside received objects, for example, aesthetical and intellectual feelings.At subject context the colors of the warm region of the spectrum positively are evaluated, in the objective/object - cold.

18.emotionally balanced ekstraverty see peace/world brighter and more colorful, with the predominance of warm tones, with the admixture/impurity of red or green, are more sensitive to the yellow, the green and the violet, they are inclined "to ignore" dark-blue nuances.Alarming introverty, on the contrary, see peace/world by less bright and colorful, with the predominance of dark-blue.Those, who are weakened, passive, insensitive to the environmental influences, are tested/experienced the decline of forces and/or depression, or are characterized by concreteness and complexity, inactivity thinkings, are more sensitive to cinema and blue to colors, and vice versa.

19.the emotional values of colors with the color attribution are similar to the effect of perceptive adding.Atributiruya color to another person, tested actually characterize their own emotional state, connected/bonded with the idea about this person.Warm tones, and green also visualize positive relation.Dark-blue, achromatic colors and brown - negative.

20.Color- sociometric test is the validnym and reliable method of measuring the emotional state of a group, study of interpersonal relations and to the individual characteristics of the members of group in the age-qualification range from 6 to 17 years

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