The effect of emotional valence and font size on metacognition and memory

Research has indicated that changes in price endings can result in left digit effects (for example, $3.99 versus $4.00). In this study, we report on the effects of price font size and appeared model on a nine-ending price where the leftmost digit is changed. Cognition of comparative price can be magnified or weakened depending on such factors. First, when the same font size is used for the price or the size-value congruency conditions are the same, the magnitude of price difference between the target and standard prices will be perceived as larger when the leftmost digit of a 9-ending price is changed (for example, $299 versus $300). Enlarging the price font size causes the perceived magnitude of the size-value incongruence of the left-digit effect in nine-ending prices to diminish. Second, when the price appears vertically it will facilitate the comparison of two prices and diminish the perceived magnitude of difference in price in comparison between the regular price and the sale price. Key words: Left-digit effect, 9-ending price, font size, vertical appeared model.

At a fixed viewing distance (VD), reading speed increases with print size. It is not known if this holds for computer tasks when postures are not constrained. Reflective glare on a monitor may reduce productivity. The effects of both may be modified by age. We evaluated effects of age, font size, and glare on performance for visually demanding text-based tasks on a computer. Nineteen young (18 to 35 years old) and eight older (55 to 65 years old wearing progressive lenses that correct for presbyopia) subjects participated in a study with two trial factors: font size (1.78, 2.23, and 3.56 mm) and glare (produced by bright light-emitting diode task light reflective off a matte liquid crystal display monitor). The monitor location was fixed but subjects were allowed to change their posture and move the chair. Subjects performed visual tasks that required similar visual skills to common tasks such as Internet use, data entry, or word processing. Productivity, accuracy, and VD increased as font size increased. For each 1-mm increase in font size, there was a mean productivity gain of 3 correct clicks/min and an improvement in accuracy of 2%. Font size increase also led to lowered perceived task difficulty. Adding reflective glare on the monitor surface led to a reduced VD but had no effect on productivity or accuracy. With visual corrections for presbyopia, age had no effect on these relationships. Productivity is improved when the font is increased from 1.78 or 2.23 to 3.56 mm for text-based computer tasks. The largest font size corresponds to a visual angle of font of 23.4 arcmin. This visual angle of font is above the high end of ISO recommendations (International Organization for Standardization, 1992, 2011). The findings may be useful for setting the font sizes for computers and for training office workers.

As electronic devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), cellular phones and pagers become daily tools for viewing e-mail, news, and websites, the need for new methods of reading text on small screen interfaces increases. Recent studies have demonstrated Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) to be a viable method of presenting text on small screens. This study examined the effects of three font sizes (12, 20, & 28-point) and two presentation rates on reading comprehension of text presented in RSVP. Results showed significantly higher reading comprehension for text presented at 250 wpm compared to 650 wpm. No effect of font size was found for reading comprehension, but participants preferred the 20-point font size compared to the 12-point font size.

A laboratory study was conducted to determine the effect of display font size on muscle activity, using surface electromyography (SEMG) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA). The study showed that volunteers performing the experiment on small font size increased left hand flexor and neck extensor muscles activity. There was also a significant difference in RULA grand scores based on posture angle measures between the three tasks that subjects performed. In addition, there was an effect of time on upper body posture and subjective measures. There was no impact of font size on the dominant hand deltoid and trapezius, or left and right hand extensor muscles. In general, the results suggest that software developers should be sensitive to font size while designing software. The results also suggest that computer users should have better knowledge regarding the benefits of increasing the font size on their displays.

Recently, there has been a growing interest in the effect of perceptual features of learning materials on adults’ memory and metamemory. Previous studies consistently have found that adults use font size as a cue when monitoring their learning, judging that they will remember large font size words better than small font size words. Most studies have not demonstrated a significant effect of font size on adults’ memory, but a recent meta-analysis of these studies revealed a subtle memory advantage for large font words. The current study extended this investigation to elementary school children. First and fifth–sixth graders studied words for a free recall test presented in either large or small font and made judgments of learning (JOLs) for each word. As did adults, children predicted they would remember large font size words better than small font size words and, in fact, actually remembered the large font size words better. No differences were observed between the two age groups in the effect of font size on memory or metamemory. These results suggest that the use of font size as a cue when monitoring one’s own learning is robust across the life span and, further, that this cue has at least some validity.

Beliefs about how memory works explain several effects on prospective metamemory judgments (e.g., the effect of font size on judgments of learning; JOLs). Less is known about the effect of beliefs on retrospective judgments (i.e., confidence). Here, we tested whether font size also affects confidence ratings and whether beliefs play a similar role in confidence than in JOLs. In two experiments, participants studied words in small and large size, rated JOLs, and completed a font-size test in which they indicated the font size at study and a standard old/new recognition test. The results confirmed that font size affected both JOLs and confidence ratings. The presentation of the counter-belief that memory is better for words in small font size in Experiment 2 and the analyses of confidence for participants who did not believe that large fonts improved memory suggested that the effect of font size on confidence was based on beliefs. This research shows that the debate on theory-based and experience-based factors should not be limited to prospective metamemory judgments but also encompass retrospective judgments.

Event Abstract Back to Event The effect of emotional arousal and valence on the delayed recall of neutral images Jessica L. Boglis1*, Leslie C. Schachte1* and Agnes Hazi1* 1 La Trobe University, Australia The ability to recall events and information, and the possession of a well endowed memory, are important aspects of an individual’s mental functioning. It is known that emotionally charged material, pleasant or unpleasant, is more likely to be recalled than neutral material. Research has shown support for this, and has demonstrated that emotional arousal and valence, both positive and negative, can alter the encoding and retrieval phases of memory. If the material to be remembered is non-stimulating, exposure to this information does not elicit emotional arousal within the individual; as a result, this material is harder to recall later and may be forgotten. A study was designed to investigate the effect of emotional valence and arousal on the recall of neutral images. Emotionally laden video clips (positive, negative and neutral) were used to manipulate participants’ arousal and valence; neutral images were then shown to participants, who were asked to remember these. Memory was measured by immediate and delayed recall of these neutral images. Immediate recall was excellent for each of the experimental groups. Delayed recall of the images was poorer than immediate recall and no group differences were detected. Total recognition scores however, indicated a clear trend with higher scores for participants whose emotional valence and arousal was positively or negatively altered compared to controls. Future studies should utilize a combination of emotionally laden and neutral images in order to maintain enhanced emotional valence and arousal for a longer period of time, and then measure the delayed recall of neutral images. Keywords: Memory, Delayed Recall, Valence, Arousal, Neutral Images Conference: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 29 Nov - 2 Dec, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Memory Citation: Boglis JL, Schachte LC and Hazi A (2012). The effect of emotional arousal and valence on the delayed recall of neutral images. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.208.00125 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 14 Oct 2012; Published Online: 17 Nov 2012. * Correspondence: Miss. Jessica L Boglis, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, jessiebog@hotmail.com Ms. Leslie C Schachte, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, l.schachte@latrobe.edu.au Mrs. Agnes Hazi, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, a.hazi@latrobe.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Jessica L Boglis Leslie C Schachte Agnes Hazi Google Jessica L Boglis Leslie C Schachte Agnes Hazi Google Scholar Jessica L Boglis Leslie C Schachte Agnes Hazi PubMed Jessica L Boglis Leslie C Schachte Agnes Hazi Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Font size is highly related to the legibility and visual fatigue in OST-HMDs, but the effects of font size on these factors remain further explored. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of a wider range of Chinese character font size (0.32°–1°) on legibility and visual fatigue, as well as to determine the optimal font size. Results showed that 0.32° had the worst legibility, but there was no continuous improvement as font size increased. A larger font size was found to be beneficial in reducing visual fatigue until it reached 0.95°, beyond which visual fatigue would relatively increase. Font size smaller than 0.32° should be rejected while a larger font size does not always provide more benefits. Considering legibility, visual fatigue and efficiency of text presentation, 0.84° is a relatively optimal Chinese character font size.

To investigate the legibility of Chinese characters’ font size, text background opacity, and font stroke for the elderly in virtual reality, we recruited old and young participants to conduct experiments with VR and used eye-tracking technology to record the data of task completion time and error rate. After analysis, we concluded that the minimum recognition font size for the elderly is 30 dmm, and the best font size is 60 dmm, which is 20 and 40 dmm for young people. The font style has a significant effect on old people (p = 0.000*). Besides, for font sizes smaller than 20 dmm and bigger than 50 dmm, text with strokes and over 50% semi-transparent backgrounds can improve legibility for the elderly. With a suitable font size, the influence of font style on the elderly is not significant. These conclusions can provide a reference for the elderly-oriented Chinese font design in VR.

Research suggests that visual acuity plays a more important role in parafoveal processing in Chinese reading than in spaced alphabetic languages, such that in Chinese, as the font size increases, the size of the perceptual span decreases. The lack of spaces and the complexity of written Chinese may make characters in eccentric positions particularly hard to process. Older adults generally have poorer visual capabilities than young adults, particularly in parafoveal vision, and so may find large characters in the parafovea particularly hard to process compared with smaller characters because of their greater eccentricity. Therefore, the effect of font size on the perceptual span may be larger for older readers. Crucially, this possibility has not previously been investigated; however, this may represent a unique source of age-related reading difficulty in logographic languages. Accordingly, to explore the relationship between font size and parafoveal processing for both older and young adult readers, we manipulated font size and the amount of parafoveal information available with different masking stimuli in 2 silent-reading experiments. The results show that decreasing the font size disrupted reading behavior more for older readers, such that reading times were longer for smaller characters, but crucially, the influence of font size on the perceptual span was absent for both age groups. These findings provide new insight into age-related reading difficulty in Chinese by revealing that older adults can successfully process substantial parafoveal information across a range of font sizes. This indicates that older adults' parafoveal processing may be more robust than previously considered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Nineteen young (18-35 year-old) and seven older presbyopic (55-65 year-old, wearing bifocal or progressive glasses) subjects with the same average visual acuity at near distance participated in this full-factorial, repeated measures study with two trial factors: font size (capital letter heights of 1.78, 2.23, and 3.56 mm) and reflective glare. The monitor location was fixed, but subjects were allowed to move their bodies and the chair while performing visually demanding tasks. The productivity improved up to 30% when using a large font size (average visual angle 23.4 arcmin) compared to a smaller font size (14.2 or 16.4 arcmin, p < .0001). The relative contributions of torso flexion (78%), head forward (3%), and chair reposition (4%) to changes in the viewing distance remained constant across font size conditions. Reflective glare had no effect on productivity measures but led to reduction of viewing distance ( p < .0001). There were no significant differences between the two age groups.

Working with computer usually required prolonged static sitting. Both static work and awkward posture are well known as the two major ergonomie risk factors in such activity. Workstation arrangement guidelines are usually suggested based on good working posture. In this study, rather than investigating on the physical dimensions of the workstation (i.e., table and chair) like others, we look into the font size factor instead. Our research is separated into two phases. The first phase is to study the effect of font size (8 moa, 12 moa, 16 moa, and 24 moa) and viewing distance on working performance as measured by text-entering speed. Our results show that both factors are not significant (p-value = 0.464 and 0.913 respectively). Then, in the second phase, we look at whether there are tendency of sitting posture change due to the different font size. Our findings show significant difference on neck angle (p-value = 0.007) but not back angle (p-value = 0.314). Our finding suggests that there are more posture deviations under smaller font size conditions.

Effects of font size, display resolution and task type on reading Chinese fonts from mobile devices

The design of human-computer interface is important and complex. Concerning the Chinese character legibility, three elementary factors are included in this study, namely, age, lighting environment, and font size. 176 subjects divided into three different age groups (19∼35, 35∼55, above 55) participated in the experiment of recognizing four font sizes (6, 9, 12, 24) in three different lighting environments (300 lx, 100 lx, 0 lx), resulting in 21760 data samples. The analysis of the results shows that: 1) Information-transfer bite-rate B is efficient to evaluate Chinese character legibility. 2) Font size 24 is the best for Chinese character legibility, and size 12 and 9 are acceptable, while size 6 is not suitable. 3) The 100 lx typical bedroom environment and 0 lx dark environment are better than 300 lx typical office environment for Chinese character legibility. 4) The fact that age is a significant factor in all the three lighting environments is manifested by B. B of the younger is about 1∼1.2 times of the middle-aged and about 1.1∼1.8 times of the senile. 5) No significant correlations are found among the size, age and lighting environments. We hope that the results of our study may provide references for human-computer interface design to some extent.

Objective To explore the gender and cultural differences in emotional memory of college students and whether they have memory preferences for emotional pictures with different valence. Methods Using the learning-recognition paradigm, fifty-four Tibetan and Han students were asked to recognize the emotional face images of different valence. The reaction time and accuracy of the subjects were recorded and analyzed. Results (1)The reaction times of the Tibetan and Han subjects were (1 808.28±528.45)ms and (1 508.27±455.37)ms, the main effect of national type was significant (F(1, 50)=5.826, P<0.05). The main effect of emotional picture valence was significant (F(2, 100)=6.997, P<0.05), the reaction time of negative pictures((1 568.90±534.45)ms) was significantly shorter than that of the positive picture ((1 684.08±476.24)ms) and neural pictures((1 738.51±528.73)ms). (2) On the accuracy rate, the main effect of emotional picture valence was significant (F(2, 49)=29.56, P<0.05). The accuracy of negative images ((78.83±8.55)%) was significantly higher than that of the positive ((73.41±9.66)%) and neutral picture ((67.96±9.64)%). (3)For Tibetan subjects, the accuracy of positive picture ((77.46±8.48)%) was significantly higher than that of positive ((70.89±8.83)%) and neutral pictures ((67.32±8.70)%), the main effect of emotional picture valence was significant (F(2, 52)=14.891, P<0.05). (4) For Han subjects, , the response time of negative images ((1 359.89±365.58)ms) was significantly shorter than that of positive ((1 549.93±434.60)ms) and neutral pictures ((1 615.01±528.77)ms), the main effect of emotional picture valence was significant (F(2, 48)=9.758, P<0.05). The accuracy of negative images ((80.31±8.53)%) was significantly higher than that of neutral ((68.65±10.70)%) and positive images ((76.12±9.94)%), and the main effect of emotional picture valence was significant (F(2, 48)=15.359, P<0.05). Conclusion National culture and emotional valence affect the emotional memory of the Tibetan and Han students. Both Tibetan and Han students have obvious negative on the recognition of emotional images, but they have different characteristics. Key words: Emotional memory; Tibetan college students; Han nationality college students; Negative bias