Colour and Shape as Visual Design Elements: Effects on Cognitive Performance in Young Children

Abstract

Colour and shape are important design elements for information perception and cognition. Researchers from previous studies have suggested that colour can affect children’s cognitive performance. However, the effect of colour and shape on cognitive ability has not been widely investigated. In this paper, the concept of the perceptual load paradigm was used to investigate the effect of colour and shape on cognitive performance. For the experiment, 120 young children aged 6-8 years with average intellect were selected. Three experiments were carried out, experiment 1 uses colour blocks, experiment 2 uses shapes without colour and experiment 3 uses shapes with colour as stimuli. The results showed that the main effect of item types (colour, shapes with colour and shapes without colour) in each stimulus was significant (p>.001), and the main effect of cognitive load was significant (p>.001). This indicated that colour, shape, and cognitive load significantly impacted the cognitive performance of the young children. These findings highlight important educational and cognitive benefits that can help improve teaching practices and learning interventions. Using both colour and shape together can support young learners by making it easier for them to process and understand information, even during more challenging cognitive tasks. One practical application of these findings is in the development of educational materials that thoughtfully combine colour and shape to enhance learning and engagement.