An Evaluation of Color Sets for CRT Displays

Ten subjects performed a color matching task with ten sets of seven colors, adapted from sets recommended in the literature. The color sets covered a wide range in color difference values delta-E in CIELUV, 1976. Performance with some color sets was significantly better than that with others on a task where color discrimination was important and the colors needed to be discriminated quickly and accurately. Effectiveness of a color set did not depend on the inclusion of any particular colors rather, the relationships among colors proved to be important. The larger the color difference value between the two most perceptually similar members of a set, the shorter the reaction time and the fewer the errors on the color matching task.