EFFECTS OF SCALE SHAPE, EXPOSURE TIME, AND DISPLAY-RESPONSE COMPLEXITY ON SCALE READING EFFICIENCY

摘要

Three scale-reading variables (scale shape, exposure time, and degree of display-response complexity) were examined in both quantitative and qualitative reading tasks. The scales were calibrated to the nearest unit or five units on a 100-unit scale. Speed and accuracy scores were recorded for U8 scale-reading conditions.nThe results for quantitative reading indicate (a) the order of superiority for speed and accuracy is open-window, circular, and vertical! (b) reducing ex¬posure time leads to more errors and slower reading times; and (c) reducing the number of response categories required increases reading efficiency, the effect on speed being greater than on accuracy. For qualitative reading (a) all scale shapes are equally adequate in terms of accuracy; and (b) the order of superiority in terms of speed is circular, vertical, and open-window. It is concluded that there is no one best scale design to fit all reading requirements.