Oral contraceptive use, caffeine consumption, field-dependence, and the discrimination of colors

We attempted to validate laboratory research which indicated that single doses of oral contraceptives (OCs) and caffeine affect the ability to discriminate colors (Böhme & Böhme, 1985). We did this in a nonlaboratory setting by surveying habitual use of OCs and caffeine by 43 female college students and relating that information to their performance on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue Test. When field-dependence, conceptualized as an indirect measure of sensitivity of the nervous system and previously shown to be strongly related to color discrimination, was included in the analyses, the results supported Böhme and Böhme's findings. For Trays 2 and 3 of the 100-Hue Test (yellow through blue of the color spectrum), higher caffeine consumption among OC users was related to poorer color discrimination, whereas, among nonusers of OCs, it was related to better performance. Study design limitations do not permit attribution of causation to either caffeine or OCs at this time.