Signal detection evidence for limited capacity in visual search

Palmer, Evan M.; Fencsik, David E.; Flusberg, Stephen J.; Horowitz, Todd S.; Wolfe, Jeremy M.

doi:10.3758/s13414-011-0199-2

Cited by 39 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…We have typically failed to find efficient search for consistently mapped character sets even when this is as simple as a search for “T”s among “L”s (e.g. Palmer, Fencsik, Flusberg, Horowitz, & Wolfe, 2011). The topic deserves more research.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of object categories in hybrid visual and memory search.

Cunningham¹,

Wolfe

2014

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

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105

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In hybrid search, observers (Os) search for any of several possible targets in a visual display containing distracting items and, perhaps, a target. Wolfe (2012) found that responses times (RT) in such tasks increased linearly with increases in the number of items in the display. However, RT increased linearly with the log of the number of items in the memory set. In earlier work, all items in the memory set were unique instances (e.g. this apple in this pose). Typical real world tasks involve more broadly defined sets of stimuli (e.g. any “apple” or, perhaps, “fruit”). The present experiments show how sets or categories of targets are handled in joint visual and memory search. In Experiment 1, searching for a digit among letters was not like searching for targets from a 10-item memory set, though searching for targets from an N-item memory set of arbitrary alphanumeric characters was like searching for targets from an N-item memory set of arbitrary objects. In Experiment 2, Os searched for any instance of N sets or categories held in memory. This hybrid search was harder than search for specific objects. However, memory search remained logarithmic. Experiment 3 illustrates the interaction of visual guidance and memory search when a subset of visual stimuli are drawn from a target category. Furthermore, we outline a conceptual model, supported by our results, defining the core components that would be necessary to support such categorical hybrid searches.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of object categories in hybrid visual and memory search.

Cunningham¹,

Wolfe

2014

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

Self Cite

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In essence, top-down guidance works in two ways: it biases attention toward important features or regions, and it biases attention away from undesirable features (or objects that have already been inspected; Al-Aidroos et al, 2012; Arita, Carlisle, & Woodman 2012). It is unsurprising that successful models of visual search, such as Guided Search (Wolfe et al, 1989; Wolfe, 1994; Wolfe & Gancarz, 1996, Wolfe, 2007; Palmer et al, 2011), incorporate top-down guidance as a key mechanism controlling attention.…”

Section: Guidance Of Attention By Bottom-up and Top-down Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Target templates: the precision of mental representations affects attentional guidance and decision-making in visual search

Hout

Goldinger

2014

Atten Percept Psychophys

147

152

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When people look for things in the environment, they use target templates—mental representations of the objects they are attempting to locate—to guide attention and to assess incoming visual input as potential targets. However, unlike laboratory participants, searchers in the real world rarely have perfect knowledge regarding the potential appearance of targets. In seven experiments, we examined how the precision of target templates affects the ability to conduct visual search. Specifically, we degraded template precision in two ways: 1) by contaminating searchers’ templates with inaccurate features, and 2) by introducing extraneous features to the template that were unhelpful. We recorded eye movements to allow inferences regarding the relative extents to which attentional guidance and decision-making are hindered by template imprecision. Our findings support a dual-function theory of the target template and highlight the importance of examining template precision in visual search.

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“…Visual search studies have also suggested sometimes that visual attention operates to select and integrate visual features supplied by Bpre-attentive^vision (e.g., E. Palmer et al, 2011;Treisman & Gelade, 1980;Wolfe et al, 1989). Pre-attentive vision is sometimes conceived as an unlimited capacity parallel process.…”

Section: Empirical Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The channel capacity of visual awareness divided among multiple moving objects

Lappin

Morse

Seiffert

2016

Atten Percept Psychophys

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If attention is distributed among multiple moving objects, how does this divided attention affect the temporal process for detecting a specific target motion? Well-trained observers in three experiments monitored ongoing random motions of multiple objects, trying to rapidly detect nonrandom target motions. Response time hazard rates revealed a simple lawful structure of the detection processes. Target detection rates (hazard rates, in bits/s) were inversely proportional to the number of observed objects. Detection rates at any response time and in any condition equaled a product of two parallel (functionally independent and concurrent) visual processes: visual awareness and motion integration. The rate of visual awareness was inversely proportional to Set Size (n = 1-12), constant over time, and invariant with integrated motion information. Thus, a single rate parameter, indicating a constant channel capacity of visual awareness, described detection rates over a wide range of conditions and response times. During an initial interval of roughly 0.5 s, detection rates increased proportionally with the duration and length of motion; but after this initial integration, detection rates were constant, independent of the time the target remained undetected. The relationship between the quantity of visual information and detection rates was simpler than anticipated by contemporary theories of attention, perception, and performance.

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Signal detection evidence for limited capacity in visual search

Cited by 39 publications

References 41 publications

The role of object categories in hybrid visual and memory search.

The role of object categories in hybrid visual and memory search.

Target templates: the precision of mental representations affects attentional guidance and decision-making in visual search

The channel capacity of visual awareness divided among multiple moving objects

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