The researchers examined approximately 1100 adults across five studies to investigate the significance of symbols in memory. Participants in the research were shown either a symbol or its word counterpart, such as ‘$’ or ‘dollar,’ and then evaluated on how many symbols or words they could remember. The researchers discovered that participants could memorize symbols better than words with the same meaning in all of their studies.
“Symbols might be more easily remembered because they give concrete visuals to abstract ideas,” said Brady Roberts, lead author and PhD candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience. “When we think about abstract concepts, like love, it can be difficult to visualize clearly. But with symbols, we can use a sort of image that represents the concept – like a heart for love – which makes the abstract idea more concrete and therefore easier to remember.”
How Symbols’ Distinctiveness Enhances Recall and Aids Visual Design
According to Roberts, symbols are easier to recall since they are unique and tend to reflect a single thought, whereas words might have several meanings. Consider the [] sign for play. It has only one meaning: to begin a piece of media. However, the term ‘play’ has many different meanings, such as a game or a theatrical performance, and it has several synonyms, including commence, begin, and start.
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The authors anticipate that their work will help to clarify complicated or abstract ideas in the future of visual design.
References:
- Brady R.T. Roberts, Colin M. MacLeod, Myra A. Fernandes,
Symbol superiority: Why $ is better remembered than ‘dollar’,
Cognition, Volume 238, 2023, 105435, ISSN 0010-0277,
https:doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105435.
Source: Medindia
