Color coding in a visual search task.

Abstract

Search times for colored symbols (two-digit numbers) on a visual display were measured as a function of the relative number of symbols of each color, and the number of different colors used. When Os know the color of the target, the search time is approximately proportional to the number of symbols of the target''s color. There is also a slight increment in search time due to the presence of the wrong-colored targets. When Os do not know the target''s color, search time depends primarily on the total number of symbols on the display. However, search times are slightly longer for multicolored displays than for comparable single-colored displays.