An Evaluation of Five Different Abstract Coding Methods—Experiment IV

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relative effectiveness of selected abstract coding methods, based upon their effects on various operator tasks. Five different coding methods mere selected: numeral, letter, geometric shape, color, and configuration. Secondary variables included in the study were target density, number of code levels, and operator tasks. It was found that numeral coding and color coding are the two superior coding methods. If greater emphasis is to be placed on identifying symbols, numeral coding is superior to color coding. No significant differences were found, however, between numeral coding and color coding for the remaining operator tasks: locating, counting, comparing, and verifying.