Choropleth maps can convey absolute magnitude through the range of the accompanying colour legend.

Data visualisation software provides the ability to create highly customisable choropleth maps. This presents an abundance of design choices. The colour legend, one particular aspect of choropleth map design, has the potential to effectively convey data points' absolute magnitudes (how large or smal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behaviour & Information Technology Vol. 43; no. 12; pp. 2821 - 2838
Main Authors: Bradley, Duncan, Zhang, Boshuo, Jay, Caroline, Stewart, Andrew J.
Format: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Oct2024
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      jtl: Behaviour & Information Technology
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      dt: Oct2024
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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        10.1080/0144929X.2023.2260889
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        atl: Choropleth maps can convey absolute magnitude through the range of the accompanying colour legend.
      aug:
        au:
          Bradley, Duncan
          Zhang, Boshuo
          Jay, Caroline
          Stewart, Andrew J.
        affil: Division of Psychology, Communication, and Human Neuroscience, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
      sug:
        subj:
          Geographic Information Systems
          Magnitude Estimation Scaling
          Graphics
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Adult
          Environmental Pollution
          Data Analysis Software
          Descriptive Statistics
          Chi Square Test
          Scales
          Maps
          Funding Source
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Data visualisation software provides the ability to create highly customisable choropleth maps. This presents an abundance of design choices. The colour legend, one particular aspect of choropleth map design, has the potential to effectively convey data points' absolute magnitudes (how large or small they are). Colour legends present the mapping between a specific range of colours and a specific range of numerical values. In this experiment, we demonstrate that manipulating this range affects interpretations of the plotted values' absolute magnitudes. Participants (N = 100) judged the urgency of addressing pollution levels as greater when the colour legend's upper bound was equal to the maximum plotted value, compared to when it was significantly larger than the maximum plotted value. This provides insight into the cognitive processing of plotted data in choropleth maps that are designed to promote inferences about overall magnitude.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        pictorial
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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