Color symbol discrimination

The theory of signal detection (TSD) was applied to the detection of static, color-coded symbols presented against single-color backgrounds. The objective was to assess the utility of TSD in color discrimination research applications. The results noted for this study highlight the utility of the TSD analysis procedure for evaluating color symbol detection performance. Subjects were shown to be more sensitive in their capability to detect colored symbols against color backgrounds as the distance (in CIE/UCS space) increased. The effect of symbol-to-background-color distance varied as a function of background direction. These results support the contention that equal distances in CIE/UCS space are not necessarily perceptually equivalent. The results of the analysis for the measure of response bias (the subject´s decision-making criterion) indicated that subjects varied their response criterion as a function of symbol-to-background-color distance. Without the use of TSD measures, variations in symbol-detection performance would have been attributable solely to perceptual sensitivity. The results were applied in the design specification for color-coded symbology overlayed on color moving-map situation displays