The Effect of Squared and Serif Fonts on Visual Search for Korean Letters and Words

This study examined the influence of squared and serif fonts, which are representative visual properties of Korean fonts, on visual search for Korean letters and words. Korean letters and two-syllable words were used for search stimuli in each Experiment 1 and 2, and in both experiments, the distractors were manipulated to have the opposite font characteristic against the characteristic of a target while search accuracies and RTs were measured. The number of search items also varied to 4, 8, and 12 along which the search performance was measured. The results of both experiments showed it easier to search for a target without a squared font (among distractors with it) than the target with the squared font (among distractors without it), and to search for a target without serifs (among distractors with them) than the target with the serifs (among distractors without them), and these advantages were more evident in larger setsizes. The influence of font characteristics was also greater in Experiment 2 where two-syllable words were used for search stimuli than in Experiment 1 for a single Korean letter. These results indicate that searching a target without a square shape or serifs would be generally easier, and further suggest the possibility that the square and serif fonts can influence visual saliency of Korean letters and words.