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Published on: February 29, 2012
Visual acuity in color contrast on cathode ray tubes: role of luminance, hue, and saturation contrasts
Abstract:
Three experiments were conducted on 90 flying personnel to determine the role of luminance, hue, and saturation contrasts on angular visual acuity measured on a CRT system. A Snellen E test object was displayed under various visual acuity conditions on a TV screen, in color contrast, using red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, white, and black. The response system gives response times and quality. The three photocolorimetric parameters are classified through data processing. All other things being equal, the best visual acuity is obtained under a luminance contrast. Two groups of colors can be differentiated under a hue contrast. The first group (red, blue, purple) is better perceived than the second (green, cyan, yellow, white) whatever the other color in simultaneous contrast may be. Higher saturation enhances visual acuity. A curve of mean response time vs. test object sizes is established for the various color couples. The obtained results are of interest for aerospace ergonomics.
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