Absolute judgment of colors in the Federal Standards System

Abstract

3 experiments were conducted to: (1) determine the number of Federal Standards colors which normal and deuteranopic Ss can identify absolutely under a variety of viewing conditions, and (2) identify optimum subsets of these colors for information coding under various operational circumstances. Results suggest that under optimal circumstances Ss can identify 24 Federal Standards colors, a number far in excess of most earlier estimates. Furthermore, careful selection can provide a 10-color subset identifiable under even marginal lighting conditions by normal Ss, and an 8-color subset identifiable even by deuteranopes. Discrepancies between these and earlier findings are explained primarily on the basis of insufficient color-label training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)