THE TEST
"WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE RED COLOUR"
IN 325 OUTPATIENT'S SUBJECTS.
Renato
COCCHI, a neurologist and a medical psychologist.
Summary.
The analysis of
the answers to the test "Which is the opposite of the red colour",
given by 325 subjects (F = 79, age 13-75 years; M = 69, age 7-70 years) seen in
the outpatient's clinic between 1992 and 2002, drove to 148 opposite answers
out of 325 (45.54%), of which 68 out of148 (45.95%) with the response: Green,
and 80 out of 148 (54.06%) with the response: White.
I
did not find gender differences, while the responses: White, came out from
significantly older patients. I did not noted gender
and motivation differences for first consultation, the same for secondary
symptoms or remarkable traits, as well as for the final diagnosis or other
information.
As for the investigation on the opposite
answers, opposite behaviour or feelings coexist in 50% of those people who
answered: White, but even in several persons who answered: Green. In six
subjects out of the 80 who answered: White, opposite behaviour or feelings
lacked, which denies a whole correlation between the response: White and
opposite behaviour or feelings.
Key words:
Opposite of the Colour Red Test; Response: Green; Response: White
opposite behaviour; opposite feelings; depression; gender; age.
Theoretical and research bases
Clinical
cases
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For
a long time I am dealing with a possible temporary, stabilized or stable
prevalence of the non-dominant half-brain. I tried to investigate this
phenomenon with a simple test ("Which is the opposite of the red
colour?"). I invented it on the base of a known experiment of
neuropsychology. Beyond a research on drug addicts, I wrote about the results
of this test in an anecdotal way, shortly recalled as it follows.
About this coexistence of the opposite,
affecting every perceptive stimulus, we can redo a famous neuropsychological
experiment that, however, has never found its adequate explanation. If we stare
at a red surface for some minutes, and then shift our gaze immediately to a
white surface, for a fraction of a second we see the colour green (green is the
complementary/opposite colour of red).
If one accepts the idea of coexistence of
the opposite as true, it can be argued that the dominant hemisphere correctly
perceives the red colour. The non-dominant hemisphere perceives the red
stimulus as green, but this phenomenon is habitually suppressed. When moving
the eye to a white surface (which represents the complete absence of colour)
the dominant hemisphere adapts straight away. The non-dominant side, which is
slower in processing stimuli, shows its residual image (green) for a fraction
of a second. This is presented as belonging to the second surface, the white
one, while it is still the real product of the opposite of the stimulus as the
result of the red surface.
The non-dominant hemisphere is also the
one in which emotional stimuli are mainly processed (Gianotti, 1983; Wittling
& Roschmann, 1993). Could it be possible that hyper-emotional individuals ( often meaning "neurotic" subjects) experience
hyper-functioning of the areas, structures or functions controlled by the
non-dominant hemisphere?
While on this point I would like to refer
to a test that I often use. If hyper-emotional subjects are asked to reply
immediately, without stopping to dwell, on the question "What is the
opposite of red?", a large number of them reply
"Green." Asked to give a reason for their answer they are at a loss.
True depressives generally answer "Black" (which is the opposite of
white).
The test has also proved to be positive
with opiate drug addicts, hyperkinetic children and in cases of mental
anorexia.
In
some way the brain of these "neurotic" individuals seem to know the
right answer and they can translate this into words if the reply is spontaneous
and not subject to "rational" critical processing (Cocchi, 1994).
As
for drug addicts, a group of heroin and cocaine addicts (43 Ss,
This result confirmed that these addictive
drugs can act on half-brain dominance at least by lowering the suppression
mechanism, with a consequent clear elicitation of the non-dominant half-brain opposite
engram (Cocchi, 2002).
In
a right-handed 42-yrs-old woman, previously diagnosed and treated as suffering from a schizo-affective
psychosis I easily detected the depressive base of symptoms and complaints.
However I tried to give her the test "Which
is the opposite of the Red colour?", according to what, I previously wrote on it (Cocchi, 1994). I
expected the answer "Black," which the colour usually depressed
people answers. Instead of it she
answered at once "White," a colour that left me surprised for quite a
lot until I did not realize that the White was the opposite colour of the
Black.
It
was the second or the third time I heard this answer since fewer years of
administration of that test, but only in that moment Black got a precise meaning.
In past, I only thought the White as a
much bright colour, and I did not know how to relate this response to the
psychic state of the person pointing out it so (Cocchi, 1996 ).
A man
of 46 years said that the opposite of every thing seemed to attract him very
much, but he denied that this was a voluntary choice. When asked to answer
without any hesitation and to say the opposite of the Red colour, he answered
"White." For no apparent reasons he used to feel angry or bad against
the persons he loved. (Cocchi, 2001).
A
10-years-old girl with Smith-Magenis
syndrome, and opposite behaviour, derogating and dirty words, when asked to say
the opposite colour of the red, she
answered nearly at once "Green" that exactly the opposite colour
(Cocchi, 2001).
Opposite behaviour or feelings
are not isolate symptoms, but even found in conditions driving to a
definite psychiatric diagnosis. As for three adult subjects, the first had an
obsessive-compulsive syndrome, the second had an attention deficit disorder
with hyperkinesys, and third suffered from a cyclic psychosis, with short
maniacal phases.
In all and three the cases there were
opposite feelings or true and really opposite behaviour. In two cases out of
three to the test "Which is the opposite of the red colour?" the
answer was: White, which is the opposite of the black. Black is usually the
response depressed persons give.
Mood alterations in a depressive direction
were clearly detected in the first case, and they have room by definition in
the third case. In the second case the depression was not evident, but his
response: Blue, as the opposite of the red, and the alcoholic abuse could be
some signs of a primarily somatic depression, the young man not is still aware
of it. (Cocchi, 2002).
A
child of eight years, with Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder,
right-handed, with probable trouble of the brain hemispheric dominance, came to
consultation for mainly groundless repetitive opposition. When asked to answer without think on: Which
is the opposite of the red colour, he did reply: Blue. (Cocchi, 2002)
Since I started in 1992 to apply this test,
even if in a not systematic way, the reexamination of my clinical records till
the whole 2002, allowed me to find an
interesting series of data.
Materials and methods.
I reexamined all the records of patients I
saw between 1992 and end 2002. From them I excluded the records of Down's
syndrome patients, those of the autistic and otherwise psychotic children, and
those with other genetic or chromosomal
anomalies.
I
collected only the records where the patient did the test "Which is the
opposite of the red colour?"
I have to say immediately that the question
has been sort in not-systematic way, for which I did not questioned all persons
who could have had it. So I cannot therefore point out reliable rates of
prevalence.
Within this selection, I made a further
selection that has exclusively concerned
the response: Green, as the opposite of
red ( it is the complementary colour) and the response: White, as the opposite
of Black, being Black the answer given by most depressed adult people.
Of
every such patient that answered Green or White I picked up: sex, age at the
first examination, alleged complaint, other symptoms or secondarily remarkable details, diagnosis
of depression made during the first
examination, if depression was not the alleged complaint, answer to the test,
investigation about the answer, other of meaningful. On these collected data I
made comparisons for sex, age, alleged complaint, etc.
Then, I used
Results.
Out of 325 records where I wrote the
application of the test, I found 148 with responses in opposition (45.54%), of
which 68/148 (45.94%) with the response: Green and 80/148 (54.06%) with the
response: White.
I summarized these results in the tables
1-6.
Table 1: Distribution for sex of the two
subgroups.
|
Answer |
Green |
% /68 |
White |
% /80 |
Totals |
% /148 |
|
F |
32 |
47.06 |
47 |
58.75 |
79 |
53.38 |
|
M |
36 |
52.94 |
33 |
41.25 |
69 |
46.62 |
|
Totals |
68 |
100.00 |
80 |
100.00 |
148 |
100.00 |
Chi Square: F
vs M = NS ;
There are not even sex differences and of
response.
Table 2: Distribution for age (years).
|
|
Green /F (32 Ss) |
Green /M (36 Ss) |
White /F (47 Ss) |
White /M (33 Ss) |
|
Average +/- SD |
33.97 +/- 11.76 |
30.83 +/- 12.85 |
41.34 +/- 12.43 |
39.88 +/- 14.16 |
|
Range |
16 – 75 |
7-63 |
13-70 |
17-70 |
Green /F vs Green /M: t = 1.046 with 66 df; p = .299 NS. ///
White /F vs White /M = .488 with 78 df; p = .627 NS. /// Green /F vs White
/F = -2.643 with 77 df; p = .01 /// Green /M vs White /M = -2.783 with 67 df; p
= .001 >
From the table 2 we can observe that the two phenomena (The response: Green and the response: White) are significantly different as for age, either for males and females, being later an average, the response: White. I did not found gender differences.
Table 3: Alleged complaints.
|
Alleged complaint |
Green /F |
Green /M |
White /F |
White /M |
||||
|
|
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
|
Depression |
18 |
56.25 |
14 |
38.89 |
21 |
44.68 |
16 |
48.48 |
|
Neurosis |
4 |
12.50 |
1 |
2.78 |
5 |
10.64 |
3 |
9.09 |
|
Panic attack |
2 |
6.25 |
2 |
5.56 |
4 |
8.51 |
3 |
9.09 |
|
Anxiety |
2 |
6.25 |
0 |
0.00 |
5 |
10.64 |
2 |
6.06 |
|
Binge eating |
1 |
3.12 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Apathy |
1 |
3.12 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Epilepsy |
1 |
3.12 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Insomnia |
1 |
3.12 |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
4.25 |
1 |
3.03 |
|
Cramps |
1 |
3.12 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Premestrual syndrome |
1 |
3.12 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Drug addiction |
0 |
0.00 |
6 |
16.67 |
2 |
4.25 |
2 |
6.06 |
|
School difficulties |
0 |
0.00 |
3 |
8.34 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Alcoholism |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
5.56 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Stress |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
5.56 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Bedwetting |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
5.56 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
3.03 |
|
Psychosis |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
5.56 |
1 |
2.13 |
3 |
9.09 |
|
Atten. Def. Hyperact. Disorder |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.78 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
High
level AS rate (in a boy) |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.78 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Headache |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Psychomotor agitation |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
6.06 |
|
Delirious state |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Gastro-intestinal troubles |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
3 |
6.38 |
0 |
0.00 |
Green /F
vs Green /M: t = - .173 with 42 df; p =
.864 NS /// White /F vs White /M: t = .487, with 42 df; p = .629 NS /// Green
/F vs White /F: t = -.503 with 42 df; p
= .618 NS /// Green /M vs White /M: t = .138 with 42 df; p = .891 NS
How we can see, there do not exist
significant differences as for sex and type of response. The depression is the
more frequent symptom as cause of the consultation.
Table 4: Secondary symptoms or other
remarkable details
|
Symptom or other remarkable detail |
Green /F |
Green /M |
White /F |
White /M |
||||
|
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
|
|
Gastro-intestinal troubles |
8 |
25.00 |
3 |
8.33 |
6 |
12.77 |
6 |
18.18 |
|
Headache |
8 |
25.00 |
3 |
8.33 |
6 |
12.77 |
2 |
6.06 |
|
Psychosis |
3 |
9.37 |
1 |
2.78 |
5 |
10.64 |
2 |
6.06 |
|
Fatigue |
2 |
6.25 |
3 |
8,33 |
2 |
4.26 |
1 |
3.03 |
|
Anxiety |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
5.56 |
2 |
4.26 |
3 |
9.09 |
|
Drug abuse |
1 |
3.13 |
1 |
2.78 |
2 |
4.26 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
EEG + |
1 |
3.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Neurosis |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
5.56 |
2 |
4.26 |
1 |
3.03 |
|
Insomnia |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.78 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Behaviour troubles |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.78 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Heroine abuse |
0 |
0.00 |
5 |
13.89 |
0 |
0.00 |
2 |
6.06 |
|
Panic attack |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
1 |
3.03 |
|
Hallucinations in past |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
School difficulties |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Memory troubles |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
1 |
3.03 |
|
Alcohol abuse |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
Green /F vs Green /M: t = - .081 with 30 df; p = .936 NS /// White /F vs White /M: t = 1.177, with 30 df; p = . 248 NS /// Green /F vs White /F: t = -.596 with 30 df; p = .556 NS /// Green /M vs White /M: t = .342 with 30 df; p = .735 NS
Even here, no significant differences as for sex and response type. Headache and GI troubles are the more frequent secondary symptoms.
Table 5: Final diagnosis or other information.
|
Final diagnosis or other |
Green /F |
Green /M |
White /F |
White /M |
||||
|
|
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
|
Depression |
10 |
|
10 |
|
16 |
|
12 |
|
|
Supposed Depression |
1 |
|
0 |
|
1 |
|
0 |
|
|
Depression in past |
2 |
|
1 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
|
Acoustic or visual hallucinations |
2 |
|
0 |
|
2 |
|
0 |
|
|
Previous ADHD. |
0 |
|
4 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
|
ADHD. |
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
1 |
|
|
EEG + |
0 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
0 |
|
|
Anxiety |
0 |
|
1 |
|
0 |
|
1 |
|
|
Parkinson’s disease |
0 |
|
0 |
|
1 |
|
0 |
|
|
Sciatic nerve pain |
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
1 |
|
Green /F vs Green /M: t = - .143 with 18 df; p = .888 NS /// White /F vs White /M: t = . 147, with 18 df; p = . 885 NS /// Green /F vs White /F: t = -.748 with 18 df; p = .464 NS /// Green /M vs White /M: t = .498 with 18 df; p = .625 NS
The more frequent final diagnosis, when not already the cause of the consultation, was still the depression.
Table 6: Investigation on the opposite responses.
|
Answer to the investigation |
Green /F |
Green /M |
White /F(*) |
White /M (*) |
||||
|
|
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
Ss no. |
% |
|
Not investigated |
27 |
84.37 |
33 |
91.67 |
17 |
36.17 |
14 |
42.42 |
|
Doubtful |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Negative |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
3 |
6.38 |
3 |
9.09 |
|
Opposite behaviour or feelings |
5 |
15.63 |
3 |
8.33 |
25 |
53.19 |
15 |
45.45 |
|
Opposition |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
2.13 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Too young for answering |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
3.03 |
|
Totals |
32 |
100.00 |
36 |
100.00 |
47 |
100.00 |
33 |
100.00 |
(*) 1 + 6 subjects, after they had answered with some hesitation "Black," admitted of has first "seen the White," and so their responses were counted as "White." Such responses did get confirmation of the brain opposite presence of White and Black, this second colour being the usual depressive response.
I preferred to do not apply any statistical test, because the excess responses: Not investigated. Yet the large presence of opposite behaviour and feelings in persons who answered: White, has poor probability of being a random phenomenon.
Discussion.
The finding of 148 with responses in opposition (45.54%), of which 68/148 (45.95%) with the response: Green and 80/148 (54.06%) with the response: White, although all outpatients questioned it in a not systematic way, cannot be a completely random fact.
Somehow or other, a response exists of simple opposition (Green), but also an opposition to the usually depressive response (White, as the opposite of Black). Either of them may be evoked, if, somehow, rational mechanisms do not operate. For this I ask an immediate or "instinctive" response, by aiming to avoid that rational mechanisms (The patient's repetition of the question, affirmation that it does not exist an opposite of the red colour, etc.) to take up room. Otherwise it would erase the information coming, I think, from a particular state of some areas of the not-dominant half-brain.
For
what concerns the response: Green, in a sample of 61 normal subjects (
I have to say that then, in both samples, nobody answered: White, which are here in a greater number than the responses: Green. If we consider instead all the opposition responses (Green + White) of the current sample, by comparing them to the responses: Green of the 61 normal subjects, the actual rate passes to 45.54% against 24.59%, which is to say, over 85% more.
However this is an aspect that needs a more accurate investigation.
The analysis of this sample showed that there are not gender and responses' differences, while, as for the age the two types of response ( Green or White ) are significantly different, being the response: White, as average later. I did not find any gender difference, as for this age difference.
About the consultation complaint, no gender and type of response differences. The depression is the more frequent symptom as main complaint.
For secondary or particularly remarkable symptoms, again no significant difference for gender and response type. Headache and gastrointestinal troubles are the two more frequent secondary symptoms.
For what concerns the final diagnosis, or additional information, even here, I did not find any significant difference for gender and response type. The more frequent final diagnosis, when not already complained as the cause of the consultation, was still the depression.
By adding the depression as cause of consultation (46.62%) to the depression as my diagnosis to end examination (32.43%), the depression gained 79.05% of subjects who underwent this test.
By adding the depression as cause of consultation (46.62%) to that as my diagnosis to end examination (32.43%), the depression gained 79.05% of subjects who underwent this test.
Finally, the investigation on the opposite responses has recorded opposite behaviour or feelings in 50% of those people who answered: White, but even in 11.76% of those who answered: Green. With which, if not other, it may say that opposite behaviour or feelings are not exclusive of those people who answered: White.
There is of more. Six subjects who answered: White did not confess any opposite behaviour or feelings. This leads to infer that between opposite response to the test, and opposite behaviour or feelings it does not exist a relationship of whole correlation.
Even this finding deserves a more accurate investigation.
Conclusions.
The analysis of the answers to the test "Which is the opposite of the red colour" given by 325 subjects seen in the outpatient's clinic between 1992 and 2002, drove to 148 opposite answers out of 325 (45.54%), of which 68 out of 148 (45.95%) with the response: Green, and 80 out of 148 (54.06%) with the response: White.
I did not find gender differences, while the responses: White, came out from significantly older patients. I did not noted gender and motivation differences for first consultation, the same for symptoms or secondarily remarkable traits, as well as for the final diagnosis or other information.
As for the investigation on the opposite answers, opposite behaviour or feelings coexist in 50% of those people who answered: White, but even in several persons who answered: Green. In six subjects out of the 80 who answered: White, opposite behaviour or feelings lacked, which denies a whole correlation between the response: White and opposite behaviour or feelings.
References.
Cocchi R.: Defective hemispheric dominance and cognitive behaviour: Speculative considerations. It. J. Intellect. Impair. 1994, 7: 19-27.
Cocchi R.: Intrusive opposite emotional thinking in a
chronic “schizo-affective” woman. A stabilized inverse half-brain dominance of
a specific function? It. J. Intellect. Impair. 1996, 9: 163-168.
Cocchi, R.: Temporary reverse
dominance of some brain functions in a man aged forty-six. <www.reversebrain.org/case3.htm>
2001
Cocchi R.: A girl aged ten with Smith-Magenis
syndrome and possible reverse dominance of some brain functions. <www.reversebrain.org/case4.htm>
2001
Cocchi R.: “Name the opposite of the red” test in drug-addicts and in normal subjects.
<www.reversebrain.org/
domin5.htm>, 2001.
Cocchi R. Three young persons with problems of reverse half-brain
dominance. On <www.reversebrain.org/
case5.htm>, 2002.
Cocchi R.: A child of 8 years with probable problems of inverse brain
dominance. <www.reversebrain.org/
case6.htm>, 2002.
Gainotti G.: Laterality of affect: The emotional
behavior of right- and left-braindamaged patients. In: Myslobodsky M.S.(ed):
Hemisyndromes. Academic Press,
Wittling W., Roschmann R.: Emotion-related hemisphere
asymmetry: Subjective emotional responses to laterally presented films. Cortex
1993, 29: 431-448.
First on Internet on Januray 2003. Copyright by
Renato Cocchi, 2003
Author’s address: Dr Renato COCCHI, via Rabbeno, 3
42100 Reggio Emilia
renatococchi@libero.it
Theoretical and research bases
Clinical
cases
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