Color associations of people who have had an ischemic stroke

The object of the study is people who have suffered ischemic stroke, and the subject is the influence of the disease on the color associations they have with anthropologically significant concepts. The goal is to experimentally test the hypothesis that under the influence of the disease there will be changes in the structure and density of the color association system, as well as the frequency of colors with different chromatic characteristics (lightness, hue, saturation). The experiment involved 101 participants. Fifty-one individuals (23 men and 28 women) aged 31 to 84 years (mean age 66.51, SD = 10.52), who were in the hospital at the time of the study after an ischemic stroke, comprised the experimental group. Their responses were compared with the results of respondents from a control group who had participated in a similar study earlier and did not suffer from acute cerebrovascular disorders (N = 50, 25 men and 25 women aged 60 to 90 years, mean age 66.7, SD = 7.1). The experiment's palette included 27 color samples from the NCS natural color system. Participants were asked to match the color samples from the palette with 26 anthropologically significant concepts. The experiment showed noticeable transformations in the color association system of individuals who had suffered an ischemic stroke. We observed an intensification of certain connections related to participants' re-evaluation of their own condition and mood, a significant increase in the popularity of white and bright blue and yellow colors. However, overall, color associations became less diverse and took on a simpler structure. The obtained data can be used for the "adjustment" of the color environment in medical institutions and to create more comfortable visual conditions for patients.