Generational Differences in Color Processing and Edge Detection
How do different generations experience the digital world?
This is my Whitman College Psychology undergraduate thesis, a deep-dive research project where I explore generational differences in color processing and edge detection.
Overview
When perceiving colors, our vision is more sensitive to edges in color than brightness. Differentiating these colors is called categorical perception. Gen Z-ers, known as 'digital natives', grew up with technology and depend on it in their everyday lives. In contrast, older generations did not grow up with technology, and visual processing declines during aging.
I hypothesized that Gen Z-ers will be faster and more accurate at detecting digital stimuli than older generations. To test this hypothesis, I conducted a quantitative research study shown below.
This study is valuable to UX and HCI research, as it reveals generational differences when interacting with the digital world. For example, when designing a button, the knowledge that users primarily click on the center of a digital stimuli is crucial.
Research Methods
This is an experimental study conducting quantitative research. It is a between-groups design (two groups studied simultaneously). The independent variables are age (Gen Z vs Older Gen) and stimuli difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard). The dependent variables are speed and accuracy of responses.
Procedure
Participants click on a link to a Qualtrics survey.
Participants sign a consent form and demographic questionnaire.
They perform the exercise and interact with stimuli.
Results are measured by Qualtrics heat mapping software.
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Sample Easy Stimuli
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Sample Medium Stimuli
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Sample Difficult Stimuli
Survey Results measured by Heat-Mapping
Accuracy Results
Horizontal bar graphs of the mean accuracy percentages were created to reveal trends. Standard error bars are included to display variability.
A notable result is older generations scored higher than Gen Z in accuracy when interacting with the easy stimuli. This refutes the hypothesis that Gen Z interacts more accurately with stimuli than older generations. However, the standard error is 8.02, so this result is uncertain.
Gen Z scored consistently higher in accuracy than the older generations when interacting with the medium and difficult stimuli. This supports the hypothesis that Gen Z interacts with stimuli more accurately than older generations.
Is it statistically significant?
A Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was created to determine statistical significance of the results. According to the ANOVA, results are not statistically significant.
Speed Results
Horizontal bar graphs of the mean total speeds are created to show trends in the results. Standard error bars are included for variability. Note that I was unable to calculate separate speeds for each of the difficulty levels so the speed data reflect speed across all trials. The older generation has a higher total speed, which supports the hypothesis.
Is it statistically significant?
An Independent Samples T-Test was conducted to determine statistical significance of the results. According to the T-Test, results are not statistically significant.
Reflection
Exploring color through this research study has enriched my understanding of accessible design.
Limitations of this study include its remote nature and lack of statistical significance. Further limitations include time of completion. I was able to track the total time of completion, but not for each individual trial, which is an error of generalizability. If I were able to track speed for easy, medium, and hard stimuli, the results may have been different, as they would have been more specific to each group of participants.