. Second,
color meanings are grounded in two basic sources: learned
associations that develop from repeated pairings of colors with
particular messages, concepts, or experiences; and biologically
based proclivities to respond to particular colors in particular
ways in particular situations. Some color associations may
emerge from learning alone, but color theorists suspect that
many such associations emerge from evolutionarily ingrained
responses to color stimuli (Mollon, 1989). Research indicates
that colors often serve a signal function for nonhuman animals
(e.g., the redness of fruit signals readiness for eating), thereby
facilitating fitness-relevant behavior (Hutchings, 1997). If, as we
suspect, humans are ‘‘prepared’’ to respond to color stimuli in a
similar fashion, then at least some color associations may represent
a cognitive reinforcing or shaping of biologically based
response tendencies.