Perceptual Discriminability as a Basis for Selecting Military Symbols
Abstract
At the present, the Army has a standard symbol test (FM 21-30) for use in portraying critical information on graphic battlefield displays. It has become apparent that this symbology does not include all concepts that are required; and of course, there may be some alternative symbols that would be better for use. Thus, there is currently a need for guidance on both future symbology development and for modification of the existing symbol set. A major goal of this research is to provide human-factors based criteria as a basis for selecting among candidate symbols for inclusion in an existing symbology data base( the Army's conventional symbols, FM 21-30). In choosing a candidate symbol to represent a particular military concept, at least two factors must be considered: (1) the meaningfulness of the symbol, i.e., how well does the symbol portray its referent; and (2) the discriminability of the symbol, as reflected in the speed and accuracy of detecting and/or identifying the form, in relation to the existing symbol domain. In summary, to insure optimal symbol discriminability, the following criteria could be applied to symbols to resolve symbol conflicts: Simplicity, Figure-to-ground relationship, Figural unity, Closure, Continuity, and Symmetry.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA160523
Entities
People
- B. M. Landee
- F. G. Christen
- R. E. Giselman