Improving Visual Learning in Anatomy: The Power of a Color-Coded Skull & Human Anatomical Models

Studying anatomy remains challenging for students, regardless of learning styles. From information overload, difficulty in visualizing three-dimensional relationships from two-dimensional resources, to mastering foreign terminology. 

A National Library of Medicine study states that “anatomy learning should still be cadaveric-based, coupled with complementary technological innovations that demonstrate 'hidden' structures.”

Educating students with color-coded skulls and human anatomical models shows “hidden structures” that are considered beneficial.

Additionally, 3D visualizations can also be beneficial for students. A National Library of Medicine study also states: “3D visualizations can enhance comprehension of spatial relationships in anatomy compared with traditional resources alone, supporting the claim that visual tools improve anatomy learning.” 

But why does color-coding work? And how does it benefit the recognition and retention of information and visualization? 

This article explains how educators can enhance visual learning with the right tools, such as color-coded skulls and human anatomical models. The aim is to support you in your educational understanding and provide tips that help your students' anatomical studies.

Why Color Coding Works

Color coding is crucial in education as it enhances perceptual salience. A National Library of Medicine’s study of color education states that “students prefer colored materials and recognize colored objects faster than grayscale ones, suggesting higher perceptual salience and easier information uptake.”

But what are the cognitive benefits, and how does color coding support faster structure recognition and retention? 

The Cognitive Benefits of Color-Based Learning

Opting for color-based learning in the medical field helps to reduce cognitive overload by organizing complex structures and information into distinct categories. Further cognitive benefits are:

• Efficient information processing: Supports the brain in organizing, comparing, and recalling information.

• Reduced cognitive load: The appropriate use of color-coding can reduce the mental effort required to process information, freeing up working memory for learning and retention. 

• Improved memory and recall: Color-coding enhances memory encoding, storage, and retrieval processes. Colored information is easier to remember than grayscale alternatives. 

• Enhanced focus and attention: Warmer colors, such as red and yellow, attract and maintain attention. This increased focus improves the likelihood of information transferring from short-term to long-term memory.

• Faster structure recognition and retention: Color-coding helps learners organize information and distinguish sections or categories, leading to faster recognition of patterns. 

But does color-coding support faster structure recognition and retention?

Faster Structure Recognition & Retention

The brain’s innate ability to process color before text means that there’s faster structure recognition and retention. Due to this, color-coding reduces cognitive load and further enhances visual search efficiency. 

Colors help to create a visual order that supports students in quickly identifying types, themes, or priority levels, acting as a mnemonic, improving the ability to store and recall information.

There are standardized color-coding themes across human anatomical models, such as:

Standardized Color Coding For Human Anatomical Models

For human anatomical models, the standardized color coding is as follows:

• Red: Arteries (indicating oxygenated blood)
• Blue: Veins (indicating deoxygenated blood)
• Yellow: Nerves
• Brown: Muscles
• Green: Ligaments, tendons, and sometimes lymphatic vessels
• Purple: Lymphatic system 
• White & beige: Bones 
• Orange: Sometimes muscles or specialized connective tissue

Standardized Color Coding for Skulls 

For color-coded skulls, the standardized color coding is as follows:

• Blue: Frontal bone
• Green: Parietal bones
• Red: Temporal bones
• Beige & yellow: Mandible (jawbone)
• Purple & yellow: Maxilla 
• Orange: Lacrimal bone
• Yellow: Nasal bone

Benefits for Students & Educators

Research suggests that using color-coded human anatomical models improves engagement, accuracy, and supports a wide range of learning styles.

According to a study of spatial ability and 3D model color-coding affects anatomy performance, with color-coding [being] a signaling strategy that guides attention towards key structures and relationships, modelling more effective visual search patterns that can support both strongly visual-spatial learners and those who struggle with raw photorealistic images. 

But how do human anatomical models benefit students’ different learning styles?

Support for Different Learning Styles

From visual, kinesthetic, and spatial to auditory, color-coded learning supports all levels of learning styles. 

• Visual: Color coding supports learners' process information through color association and enhanced, high-contrast visibility.

• Kinesthetic: For those who need to touch and interact to learn, 3D human anatomical models provide hands-on experience compared to 2D alternatives. 

• Spatial: Color coding directly addresses the need to understand how body parts fit together in three-dimensional space. 

• Auditory:  For those who are auditory learners, color-coding provides a visual anchor for auditory information, supporting the organization of the learner. 

Are you ready to choose the color-coded models for effective anatomical tools?

Why Color-Coded Models are Effective Learning Tools

Choosing color-coded models as effective learning tools benefits students by reducing cognitive load, improving recall, and providing efficient information processing. 

You can explore our entire anatomical models collection from Eisco Labs once you are ready. If you are unsure which product best suits your educational needs, you can speak to our expert team.