Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports

FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute


Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-75/1

Title and Subtitle: Predictive validities of several clinical color vision tests for aviation signal light gun performance

Report Date: January 1975

Authors: Jones KN, Steen JA, Collins WE

Abstract: Scores on the American Optical Company (AOC) test (1965 edition), Dvorine test, Farnsworth Lantern test, Color Threshold Tester, Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue test, Farnsworth Panel D-15 test, and Schmidt-Haensch Anomaloscope were obtained from 137 men with color-defective vision and 128 men with normal color vision. The validity of each of these tests in predicting scores on the aviation signal light gun was assessed by using daytime and nighttime administrations of the light gun as the criteria.

Two best sets of plates from the AOC and Dvorine tests were selected by calculating a multiple regression equation in a stepwise manner with the nighttime and then the daytime administration of the signal light gun test as the criteria. Based on a graphic presentation of the miss and false alarm rates for each test at various possible cut scores, suggestions were made regarding the use of each test and the selection of optimal pass/fail scores.

Key Words: Aviation Signal Light Gun, Color Defect, Color Vision Tests, Test Standards

No. of Pages: 12

Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012