We assessed the advantages of a color-coded weapons symbology for a helmetmounted display over monochrome symbology by measuring military pilots' performance while they flew air-to-air combat in a simulator. The pilots fired missiles significantly sooner without sacrificing probability of kill when using the color coded symbology, demonstrating a substantial practical benefit of color. Actual or potential applications of this work include the design of color codes for helmetmounted and other displays that use complex symbology to assist performance on cognitively challenging tasks.
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