Having trouble proofreading?, Maybe you need to change colors Options

[14tonks]

Study of color's effect on performance

If a new study is any guide, the color red can make people’s work more accurate, and blue can make people more creative.

In the study, published Thursday on the Web site of the journal Science, researchers at the University of British Columbia conducted tests with 600 people to determine whether cognitive performance varied when people saw red or blue. Participants performed tasks with words or images displayed against red, blue or neutral backgrounds on computer screens.

Red groups did better on tests of recall and attention to detail, like remembering words or checking spelling and punctuation. Blue groups did better on tests requiring imagination, like inventing creative uses for a brick or creating toys from shapes.

“If you’re talking about wanting enhanced memory for something like proofreading skills, then a red color should be used,” said Juliet Zhu, an assistant professor of marketing at the business school at the University of British Columbia, who conducted the study with Ravi Mehta, a doctoral student.

Maybe we should all switch away from that eye-soothing pale yellow, gray, or green with it's time to proof?

[randme]

Wow, Sheila. I just pulled up a report that I did a few days ago, made it all red, and what a difference. The words just pop right out. I can see where that would make proofing so much better. It's so easy to miss words when proofing, I like to think I catch any goofs, but I think with it all red I would for sure.

Thanks for that.

Marti