The appearance and interpretation of colors used on maps is a function not only of how each color looks individually, but also of how each color is interpreted with respect to the other colors that appear on the map. Cartographers and cognitive scientists have developed a number of models to explain the processes by which people perceive different sets of colors when displayed together on a map, but those models have not been well integrated with one another. This doctoral dissertation research project will perform two experiments that should permit a more coherent integration of some of the prevalent models of color appearance and perception. In the first experiment, subjects will be shown different sets of colored polygons and asked to select which free-standing polygons most closely replicate the colors of specific polygons. Measurement of how closely colors selected by subjects match the actual colors of the specific polygons will provide a means of calibrating and reconciling two extant models. In the second experiment, the combined model refined in the first experiment will be tested using different color schemes on actual maps, with subjects again asked to determine which specified areas have similar colors. Although these experiments will provide specific information regarding how viewers interpret specific color combinations on maps, the project's primary value will be in providing a realistic test of general behavioral models, thereby increasing broadly based understandings of the ways in which color combinations affect cartographic communication. This project also will provide an excellent opportunity for a promising graduate student to expand and refine her basic research skills.
