Psychophysical scaling method for measurement of colors concept in children and adults

Abstract

Our study aimed to present a new method to generate a scale for color concept distances using the Law of Comparative Judgment and derivate an interval scale for the amount of color concept salience. A hundred thirty-eight participants (mean age ​= ​22.7 ​yrs; SD ​= ​1.9) with normal visual acuity and color vision were evaluated. Additional 225 children were also evaluated (mean age ​= ​8,9yrs; SD ​= ​2.3). The task consisted of writing a list of the one-term word for colors and data were analyzed based on Thurstone's rank order scaling method. For adults, the most salient concept was blue and the less was violet with a distance for concepts of 3.51 units between them, whereas for children the most salient concept was blue and the less was violet with a distance for concepts of 3.67 units between them. Significant differences between adults and children occurred for white, brown, pink, orange, gray, and violet. The internal consistency of our measurement was lower than 0.1% for almost all colors which suggests high reliability for both age groups, except for brown and anil in children. Thus, our innovative approach produces quantitative interval class data rather than categorical or ordinal data allowing quantitative measurement of the amount of the concept salience on a one-dimensional scale, feasible to be used for adults and children. • We evolved the color concept measure by representing concepts on an interval scale. • The method allows the use in children and adults with a simple task adaptation. • Our study eliminates the use of physical stimuli and, therefore, is of more cognitive nature. • We can thus study the salience that a given concept has in a continuum, without restrict them in a discrete ordinal scale.