Comprehension of Pictorial Symbols: Effects of Context and Test Method

With increasing attention to multiculturalism and worldwide trade, pictorial symbols are increasingly being used to convey important messages. Well-designed symbols have the ability to communicate large amounts of information at a glance. They can also be useful in conveying information to persons who cannot read a printed verbal message, either because they have vision problems (e.g., older adults), lower-level verbal skills, or inadequate knowledge of the language being used in the warning (Boersema & Zwaga, 1989; Collins, 1983; Laux, Mayer, & Thompson, 1989; Lerner & Collins, 1980; Zwaga & Easterby, 1984). Clear communication is particularly critical when a pictorial symbol conveys safetyrelated information, as the lack of understanding or misinterpretation could lead to injury. Given pictorial symbols’ potentially important role in communicating hazards, national and international standards have been established that describe how to evaluate their comprehensibility, such as the American National Standard Institute’s ANSI Z535.3 (ANSI, 1991) and the Organization for International Standardization’s ISO 3864 (ISO, 1984). ANSI and ISO advise that symbols must reach a criterion of at least 85% or 67% correct, respectively, in a comprehension test to be considered acceptable. Despite the existence of these standards, pictorial symbols are routinely placed on signs, labels, and other materials without any evaluation as to whether they communicate the intended concepts to Comprehension of Pictorial Symbols: Effects of Context and Test Method