Blue blood, red blood. How does the color of an emotional scene affect visual attention and pupil size?

Abstract

The function of color in the processing of emotional scenes is not entirely clear. While there are studies showing that color matters in terms of the capture of covert attention by emotional stimuli, the impact of color on fixation patterns, reflecting overt attention, is unresolved. Studies on the role of color in evoking emotional response have also produced mixed results. Here, we aimed to explore how image color and content influence pupillary response and the engagement of overt visual attention. In the first experiment, we examined the pupillary reaction to neutral images (intact and phase scrambled) in three color variants (natural, abnormal, and grayscale). In the second experiment, we investigated the pupillary changes and fixation pattern in response to images of different valence (neutral, positive, and negative), again in three color versions. The results showed that pupillary responses were influenced by both content and the color of the images. The pupillary response to phase-scrambled images did not differ between the color versions. Intact neutral and positive images, but not negative ones, evoked smaller pupil responses if they were presented in abnormal colors rather than natural ones. The initial capture of attention by emotional content depended on the color version, whereas holding of attention was affected solely by the emotional valence. Thus, color changes the physiological response to images, particularly low-arousing ones, and modulates the initial engagement of attention by image content.