Impact of colors on perceptual comparison of rectangles' areas: An eye tracking study

Abstract

Colors play a complex role in education and teaching, such as directing attention, regulating cognitive load and eliciting emotional responses. This study examined how colors affect middle school students' perception of geometric area. Participants were asked to compare the sizes of rectangles by looking at pairs of figures containing rectangles of different colors and backgrounds. These pairs were created using combinations of colors warm, cold and neutral. Eye-tracking data, including fixation count and gaze duration, were collected, and analyzed according to students' Van Hiele Geometric Thinking levels and their school grade level. The results showed that colored stimuli were processed more slowly than black-and-white designs. This suggests that color complicates the cognitive process rather than simplifying it. It was also observed that low figure-ground contrast can increase cognitive load and that warm-colored shapes tend to reduce success due to perceptual illusions. Conversely, cold-colored backgrounds have the potential to enhance performance. It was therefore concluded that color usage is a powerful tool that must be carefully managed according to context. The results of this study can inform educational activities related to attention, instructional material design, and learning psychology.