Abstract
This article describes the empirical development and validation of graphic symbols to be affixed to sources of recycled water. The symbols are intended to encourage the use of recycled water in ways that do not endanger the environment or public health. The current identification system does not provide specific information concerning levels of quality (pollution levels) of recycled water, nor does it provide positive comparative information. In the design and validation of more effective symbols, cognitive elicitation techniques were used to assess the normative implicit meaning of stimulus values of hue and brightness with respect to five levels of water quality. Although both hue and brightness choices were systematically related to water qualities, the implicit meaning of brightness values was clearer. A validity assessment of the untrained meanings of symbols based on brightness and supplemented by hue supported both their implicit comprehensibility and the empirical strategy employed in their design.
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