Non-visual colour: A qualitative study of how the totally blind and an achromatope navigate colour in the sighted world

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Version: Final published version
License: CC BY 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_01BE55EB48A3
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Publication sub-type
Minutes: analyse of a published work.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Non-visual colour: A qualitative study of how the totally blind and an achromatope navigate colour in the sighted world
Journal
Acta Psychologica
Author(s)
Jonauskaite Domicele, Gierlinger Nina, Geiger Klara, Busse Claudia, Frick Aline, Mohr Christine, Leder Helmut
Publication state
Published
Issued date
01/03/2025
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
253
Pages
104682
Language
english
Abstract
Colour plays an important role in the sighted world, not only by guiding and warning, but also by helping to make decisions, form opinions, and influence emotional landscape. While not everyone has direct access to this information, even people without colour vision (i.e., blind, achromatope) understand the meanings of colour terms and can assign sensory and affective properties to colours. To learn which aspects of colour are transmitted non-visually, and thus, are pertinent to those without colour vision, we conducted qualitative interviews with 11 participants (2 congenitally blind, 2 early blind, 4 late blind, 2 late blind with synaesthesia, and 1 achromatope). Our thematic analysis revealed that all participants had detailed knowledge of colours and displayed opinions and attitudes. Colour was important to them as it allowed to take part in the sighted world, navigate the surroundings, and communicate with the sighted peers. While participants with non-congenital colour vision absence could remember and even visualise colours, colour was more abstract to participants with congenital colour vision absence. This was possibly a reason why colour was not very important to their personal lives. Nonetheless, all our participants associated colours with diverse objects, concepts, and emotions, and also had colour preferences, indicating that semantic (conceptual, symbolic, affective) meanings of colour can be transmitted without direct visual experience. Future quantitative and qualitative studies are needed for a systematic understanding of such connotations in the visually impaired population, and their implications to those who can and cannot see colour.
Keywords
Total blindness, Achromatopsia, Colour-blindness, Synaesthesia, Qualitative interviews, Colour, Emotion, Preferences
Open Access
Yes
APC
1999 EUR
Funding(s)
Swiss National Science Foundation / Careers / P500PS_202956
Swiss National Science Foundation / Careers / P5R5PS_217715
Swiss National Science Foundation / Careers / PZ00P1_223781
Swiss National Science Foundation / Projects / 100014_182138
Create date
13/01/2025 10:11
Last modification date
14/01/2025 7:08
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