BALTIMORE, June 22 (UPI) -- Johns Hopkins university scientists say sports teams' colored uniforms are an important factor in our enjoyment of ball games.
If fact, if someone, somewhere hadn't thought to make team uniforms the same color, the scientists say we might be watching NBA finals or World Cup soccer matches with only two players and a referee.
The John Hopkins psychologists say it's such color coding that allows spectators, players and coaches at major sporting events to overcome humans' natural limit of tracking no more than three objects at a time.
"We've known for some time that human beings are limited to paying attention to no more than three objects at any one time," said Justin Halberda, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences. "We report the rather surprising result that people can focus on more than three items at a time if those items share a common color."
Halberda and Assistant Professor of Psychology Lisa Feigenson say their research suggests uniform uniform colors allow people to overcome the usual limit, because the 'color coding' enables them to perceive separate individuals as a single set.
The study appears in the July issue of the journal Psychological Science.
