Nursery World - Babies' colour preferences investigated

Families are being asked to take part in a new study to find out how babies develop preferences for different colours.

Surrey Baby Lab, based at the University of Surrey, was set up in 2000 to investigate babies' relationship with colour. The latest study will aim to discover whether all babies share preferences or dislikes for the same colours. Researchers are now looking for infants younger than six months.

Initial studies have looked at how babies see colours, whether male and female infants view colours differently, what colours they prefer and how children learn the words for colours.

Hundreds of local babies have been visiting the Surrey Baby Lab to help answer these questions. Babies visit the centre with their parents for around half an hour and are shown images on a computer screen. A special camera allows researchers to know precisely what the babies are looking at in the image. They can then record what does and does not capture the babies' attention.

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