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Which is easier to remember, symbols or words?
Everyday symbols like &?!#@$ are highly memorable, according to new research.
The new study led by the University of Waterloo aimed to investigate how well symbols are remembered compared to words with the same meaning.
“Our work is ground-breaking as it highlights how humans remember graphic symbols and logos,” said Myra Fernandes, co-author and professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Waterloo. “Symbols are particularly useful as they can be used as logos in advertising, as well as offer a faster means of communication through emojis. Our studies examining memory for symbols offer insight into ways to maximize retention and refine communication.”
Across five studies, the researchers surveyed over 1,100 adults to examine the role of symbols in memory. In the studies, participants were presented with either a symbol or its word counterpart, e.g., ‘$’ or ‘dollar’, and tested on how many symbols or words they could remember.
In all studies, the researchers found that participants were able to memorize symbols better than words with the same meaning.
“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.”
Roberts adds that symbols may also be easier to remember because they are unique and tend to represent a single concept, whereas words can have multiple meanings. Consider the play symbol [▷]. It only has one meaning: to start a piece of media. But its word counterpart ‘play’ has many other meanings, such as a game or theatrical performance, and there are many synonyms for the word, such as commence, begin, and start.
The authors hope that their work will aid in the future of visual design to help plainly communicate complicated or abstract ideas.
The paper, Symbol superiority: Why $ is better remembered than ‘dollar’, authored by Roberts, Fernandes, and Colin MacLeod, appears in the psychology journal Cognition.
Transformative vision care event empowers Toronto youth
By Jordan Flemming. This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo News.
The Optometry Clinic at the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science, in collaboration with Essilor and Modern Optical, conducted an outreach event on August 14, 2023, to provide vision screening and eye examinations for more than 45 children and youth. The Clinic worked with the Youth Association for Academics, Athletics and Character Education (YAAACE), which is a Black-led community organization that seeks to engage children and youth from all communities, to organize this summer camp style event on campus.
Recognizing the significance of visual health in children's lives, the Optometry Clinic offered eye care services to children and youth from the Jane and Finch area of Toronto. This region faces various health and socio-economic challenges, including limited access to eye care services.
The Faculties of Science and Engineering along with the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics planned enrichment activities for participants while they waited for their checkups.
This initiative, building upon the success of a similar event held in Toronto pre-pandemic, aimed to address the vital importance of clear vision in the social and emotional development of young individuals.
YAAACE summer camp attendees were provided eye exams, participated in learning activities and enjoyed a group lunch.
“YAAACE has an annual summer camp, and by collaborating with their executive director, we realized that eye care was an unmet need,” said Andre Stanberry, director of the Optometry Clinic who spearheaded the initiative. “It would not have been possible without support from our industry partners and student, faculty, staff and community volunteers.”
With generous support from Essilor, Modern Optical, Kleargo and 2020 Accessory Source Ltd. — Waterloo's Optometry Clinic orchestrated the event seamlessly.
The event team included 16 Waterloo Optometry students, 12 Optometrists, two opticians and eight staff members. Their combined expertise ensured the streamlined and segmented execution of the vision screenings and eye examinations, improving the health of the children and youth in a significant way.
Essilor provided lenses as well as funding for hospitality and exam consumables. Modern Optical offered up eyeglasses frames and accessories, Kleargo provided sports googles and 2020 Accessory Source Ltd. provided youth sunglasses.
“We are pleased to provide a wide range of frame styles and lens designs to meet the unique needs of every individual. Our goal is to raise awareness of the importance of routine eye exams and to provide functional and stylish eyewear that encourages young people to get the most out of their vision,” remarked Cailin Harrop, optical service manager for the Optometry Clinic.
In addition to providing immediate corrective solutions, the initiative also focused on offering continued optometric care options to the children and youth who received glasses. Local optometrists were identified, and their contact information shared, enabling the patients to seek follow-up eye care within their community.