Jayne Molyneux’s scientific contributions

Background / Purpose: Colour category boundaries in a 2AFC task are manifested via performance speed: identification is slower for colours near the boundary and faster for more prototypal colours (Bornstein & Korda, 1984).We questioned whether identification speed differs in two visual fields (VFs): faster right VF responses would imply a Whorfian effect of language, suggested by Regier & Kay 2009.Observers were 14 British English speakers. Eleven equiluminant CRT colours fell on an arc between blue (140°) and green (240°). Singletons were presented for 160ms in the LVF (20) or RVF (20) followed by the words blue and green above and below the fixation point. Observers indicated the category by pressing the corresponding button. For each colour/position, frequency of blue- vs. green-identification and median RTs were obtained. Main conclusion: At the blue-green boundary (ca. 180°), median RTs were 200-500ms longer than for colours beyond it. Results were inconclusive: responses were significantly faster in RVF for three observers and in LVF for four, with no difference for other seven. In colour identification, unlike visual search, the temporal boundary marker shows no RVF advantage, being less susceptible to language modulation.