Effects of Figural Noise, Rotation, and Other Task Variables on the Visual Perception of Form.
Abstract
The results of four experimental investigations of the perceptual performance obtained with tasks displaying visual information are reported. Metric figures were used in each experiment--visual forms that are analogs of the amplitude modulated waveforms that characterize the signals of certain sonar and radar presentations. Among the general conclusions reached regarding ways of optimizing visual displays of complex information were the following: The display should provide increased cues for discrimination by enhancing the visibility of features that distinguish one pattern from another rather than providing finer figural detail. Increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the displayed information will benefit the observer in situations where rotations of the display relative to the observer are unavoidable. Analogs of amplitude-modulated waveforms used to represent complex information visually may be more easily identified when they take the form of patterns that distribute the visual features radially, rather than horizontally, in each shape. Unless practical considerations dictate otherwise, the visually patterned information should be displayed as solid shapes against a uniform background rather than shapes which are outlined in form. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1971
- Accession Number
- AD0723992
Entities
People
- John B. Thurmond
Organizations
- University of Louisville