Color Red Metaphor Representation Of Ability Concept

Objective:Color not only exists in the form of physical stimulus,but also has implicit psychological meaning.The psychological meaning of red is complicated,and red represents advantage,strength,competitiveness and dominance.This study attempted to verify the metaphorical connection between red and ability by exploring whether people in red had advantage in ability judgment in recruitment situation.And then we also explored the mechanism of the metaphorical connection in recruitment situation.Method:The subjects of the first experiment were college students,and this experiment was between-subjects designed:3(color:red/white/black)× 2(recruitment situation:leadership situation/employee situation).It explored whether the candidate's ability evaluation was affected by the color of clothes.According to the result of the first experiment,the second experiment was single factor designed and the subjects of this experiment turned to recruiters.The experiment explored whether candidates in red were more advantageous than those in white,black,and blue in ability evaluation in the leadership position recruitment situation.Results:The results of the first experiment:in the leadership position recruitment situation,man in red were assessed significantly higher than those in white and black in existing ability,leadership potential,the overall evaluation and the admission possibility.In the staff position recruitment situation,there was no significant difference in the subjects' assessment among applicants in different colors of clothes.Based on the leadership recruitment situation,the second experiment obtained the following results:1.Man in red were assessed significantly higher than those in white in existing ability,leadership potential and the admission possibility.And existing ability/leadership potential fully mediated the relationship between color and admission possibility;2.Man in red were assessed significantly higher than those in black in existing ability and leadership potential,but there were no significant difference in the overall evaluation and the admission possibility;3.Man in red were assessed significantly higher than those in white in existing ability,leadership potential and the overall evaluation.And existing ability/leadership potential fully mediated the relationship between color and overall evaluation.Conclusion:In the leadership position recruitment situation,applicants in red are considered to have higher existing ability and leadership potential,and they are more loved by recruiters and more likely to be admitted.Red has a positive effect on overall evaluation and admission possibilities by promoting the assessment of existing ability and leadership potential.