The influence of colour in the context of sport: a meta-analysis

This study conducted a meta-analysis to explore the influence of colour on human behaviour in the context of sport and to scrutinise potential moderators affecting this impact. P-curve analysis was used to test whether a set of findings in the published literature contains an evidential value. To analyse the methodological standard of included studies two quality assessment tools were applied: the QATSDD and guidelines recommended by Elliot [2019. A historically based review of empirical work on color and psychological functioning: Content, methods, and recommendations for future research. Review of General Psychology, 23(2), 177-200]. The PRISMA protocol was employed for data identification and selection. Sixty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria and were deemed eligible for analysis. The results of the p-curve analysis suggested that cumulatively the studies contained evidential value (p < .001). The meta-analysis with random effects models indicated a medium significant effect ((theta) over cap = 0.56, 95%-CI [0.40, 0.72], p < .001) with substantial heterogeneity (I-2 = 96.97%, t(2) = 0.34, p(Q) < .001). Several moderators (i.e., age, study design, sport type, physical outcome measures, perceiving coloured environment, perceiving others in coloured equipment, red colour, blue colour) showed a significant impact on the relationship between colour and human behaviour in sports. Closer inspection of the quality of included studies, however, implied that carefully controlled empirical work on colour in the context of sport is scarce.