The comprehension of 16 pictorial safety symbols was examined using a rapid visual exposure technique and 4 types of prohibitive circle-slash variants (over, under, partial, and translucent). Performance was higher for base pictorial images that appeared to depict more concrete, less complex and familiar concepts. Symbols were better understood with the under and translucent slashes. This research has implications for the design of pictorial symbols on roadways and in other environments where exposure to safety information may be brief.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ANSI (1998). Criteria for Safety Symbols: Z535.3. American National Standards Institute, Arlington, VA: National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
2.
AvantL.ThiemanA.BrewerK.WoodmanW. (1986) On the earliest perceptual operations of detecting and recognizing traffic signs. In GaleA. G.FreemanM. H.HaslegraveC. M.SmithP.TaylorS. P. (Eds.), Vision in Vehicle (Vol. 1), Amsterdam: North-Holland.
3.
DewarR. (1976). The slash obscures the symbol on prohibitive traffic signs. Human Factors, 18, 253–258.
4.
GoughP. (1965) Grammatical transformations and speed of understanding. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 4, 107–111.
5.
HoonhoutH.C.M. (2000). Evaluating graphical messages for mentally retarded adults; do pictures get the intended information across?Proceedings of the International Ergonomics Association & the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Congress, 44 (4), 798–801.
6.
ISO (1984). Safety Colours and Safety Signs (Publication No. ISO 3864). Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization.
7.
KlineD. W.FuchsP. (1993). The visibility of symbolic highway signs can be increased among drivers of all ages. Human Factors, 35, 25–34.
8.
MarcelA. (1983). Conscious and unconscious perception: An approach to the relations between phenomenal experience and perceptual awareness. Cognitive Psychology, 15, 238–300.
9.
MurrayL.MagurnoA.GloverB.WogalterM. (1998). Prohibitive pictorials: Evaluations of different circle-slash negation symbols. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 22, 473–482.
10.
YoungS. L.WogalterM. S. (2001). Predictors of pictorial symbol comprehension. Information Design Journal, 10, 124–132.
