Effects of Cognitive Load and Color Saliency Interaction on Children's Visual Search in Digital Interfaces

Abstract

Visual complexity in digital learning interfaces can enhance engagement but also impose cognitive load and compromise color saliency. This study investigates how cognitive load modulates color saliency in guiding children's visual search. Using a visual search paradigm, color saliency was manipulated through color difference (ΔE*_₀₀) between targets and distractors, and cognitive load was manipulated through task difficulty (simple detection vs. localization) and amount of information (set sizes: 6–21). Results showed cognitive load moderated color saliency: large color differences (ΔE*_₀₀ ≥ 72.69) became more beneficial under high task difficulty. Target hue further modulated saliency under high load: Red and green targets facilitated the fastest searches, whereas blue and purple incurred a 50- to 60-ms cost. Notably, task difficulty reversed the effect of information load: Increasing set size prolonged reaction times under low difficulty but shortened them under high difficulty by 35 ms, suggesting context-dependent strategy switching. These findings suggest that color saliency dynamically interacts with cognitive load, offering three preliminary design implications. First, high-load tasks may benefit from high-contrast color combinations (e.g., red-green, ΔE*_₀₀ > 70). Second, critical information may favor red or green hues over blue or purple. Third, information density should be calibrated to task demands rather than minimized indiscriminately.