THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOOLS TO RESEARCH THE COLOR-YOUR-LIFE TECHNIQUE

The Color-Your-Life technique (CYL) involves teaching children color-affect pairs (e.g. RED-anger) and instructing them to fill a blank piece of paper with the colors that represent the feelings of their life. The researchers overcame two hurdles in researching the CYL: (a) standardizing administration and (b) quantifying the drawings. Based upon a sample of 172 children ages 6 -13, and as part of the standardization procedure, the researchers selected color-affect pairings (RED-mad, ORANGE-excited, YELLOW-happy, GREEN-lonely, BLUE-sad, BROWN-bored, BLACK-scared, and PURPLE-choice) and developed instructions. A quantification system was devised using computer graphics which allowed for the measurement of percent of color. A brief report on research with a normative sample revealed age, gender, and ethnic group differences. These tools should serve to encourage further research with the CYL.