Predicting Airport Screening Officers’ Visual Search Competency With a Rapid Assessment

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Mitroff ◽  
Justin M. Ericson ◽  
Benjamin Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Job Performance ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Aviation Security ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Airport Security ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
X Ray

Objective The study’s objective was to assess a new personnel selection and assessment tool for aviation security screeners. A mobile app was modified to create a tool, and the question was whether it could predict professional screeners’ on-job performance. Background A variety of professions (airport security, radiology, the military, etc.) rely on visual search performance—being able to detect targets. Given the importance of such professions, it is necessary to maximize performance, and one means to do so is to select individuals who excel at visual search. A critical question is whether it is possible to predict search competency within a professional search environment. Method Professional searchers from the USA Transportation Security Administration (TSA) completed a rapid assessment on a tablet-based X-ray simulator (XRAY Screener, derived from the mobile technology app Airport Scanner; Kedlin Company). The assessment contained 72 trials that were simulated X-ray images of bags. Participants searched for prohibited items and tapped on them with their finger. Results Performance on the assessment significantly related to on-job performance measures for the TSA officers such that those who were better XRAY Screener performers were both more accurate and faster at the actual airport checkpoint. Conclusion XRAY Screener successfully predicted on-job performance for professional aviation security officers. While questions remain about the underlying cognitive mechanisms, this quick assessment was found to significantly predict on-job success for a task that relies on visual search performance. Application It may be possible to quickly assess an individual’s visual search competency, which could help organizations select new hires and assess their current workforce.

Long-Term Visual Search

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1579-1579
Author(s):  
Justin M. Ericson ◽  
Stephen R. Mitroff ◽  
Ben Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Response Time ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Learning Curves ◽  
Airport Security ◽  
Peak Performance ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Critical Question

Most professional visual searchers (e.g., radiologists, baggage screeners) face an interesting conundrum—they must be highly accurate while also performing in a timely fashion. Airport security personnel, for example, are tasked with preventing any and all dangerous items from getting aboard a plane, but they must also be speedy to keep the passengers flowing through the checkpoint. It is not easy to simultaneously prioritize two primary job requirements (accuracy and speed) that are in direct contrast to one another. While a certain level of error is inevitable in almost any cognitive task, it is arguable that many professional search environments might be even more vulnerable to error given the contradictory goals imposed upon the searchers. As such, it is critical to explore every means possible to minimize mistakes. One critical question when exploring means to improve search performance in professional settings is how do professional searchers develop the ability to search for, and steadily learn to reliably detect, targets. How do searchers improve their search efficacy over the course of repeatedly discovering an item (or by receiving feedback when missing it)? This process of iterative learning across exposures to targets is referred to here as “long-term visual search” (LTVS). To investigate LTVS the current study utilized “big data” from the mobile app Airport Scanner (Kedlin Co.; see Mitroff et al., 2015) to assess search ability improvements. Airport Scanner is a publicly available mobile app, where the users serve as airport security officers looking for prohibited items in simulated X-ray baggage images. Over 10 million users have downloaded the app, creating over 2.6 billion trials of data (see Mitroff et al., 2015). Airport Scanner contains hundreds of different targets—granting the possibility to look at how search performance develops, both generally and item-by-item, across a large number of target types and with immense power. To effectively measure search improvement, only Airport Scanner users with a minimum of 250 target-present trials were included in this study. The first analysis collapsed performance across 26 distinct targets that varied in salience, frequency, and when they were introduced into gameplay. Despite variability, uniform patterns to overall search improvement were found—detection rate and response speed both revealed steep learning curves followed by a uniform plateau in performance. Second, performance assessments were conducted individually on the 26 target items. Specifically, accuracy and response time values were standardized (z-scored) to place items on a level-playing field despite differences in target characteristics (e.g., salience, frequency). There was variability in improvement and peak performance for search accuracy across targets, but very little variability in response time performance. While individual target types led to an array of required target observations to obtain mean accuracy (i.e., reach plateau), there was general uniformity for response time with most items taking approximately 14 target-present trials to reach mean proficiency in search speed. Understanding the development of LTVS is critical for reducing errors in professional visual searches, and the current study demonstrated the iterative nature of learning, providing potential insights for improving training procedures.

Program Peningkatan Keamanan Di Bandara Kualanamu Medan Apabila Beroperasi

WARTA ARDHIA ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Ismail Nadjamuddin
Keyword(s):  
Detection System ◽  
Aviation Security ◽  
Closed Circuit ◽  
Airport Security ◽  
Civil Aviation ◽  
Metal Detector ◽  
Closed Circuit Television ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Security Officer ◽  
Security Inspection

Kualanamu Medan Airport Construction is an alternative to overcome the operational limitations and the land that was experienced Polonia Airport. Airport security enhancement program Kualanamu Medan when operating include airport security aspects of the provision of facilities consisting of: X-Ray facility 12 units, Walk Throught Metal Detector (WTMD) 14 units, Hand Held Metal Detector (HHMD) 24 units, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV , Explosive Detection System 2 units, 2 units Liquit Scan Detecto,, Detector Nubikara 2 units (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Radio Active), Body Scane 1 unit, Body Inspector, Airport For Perimeter Surveillance, Security Inspection Car and Motorcycle 4. The security officer in Medan Airport Kualanamu totaling 204 personnel consisting of 124 personnel from the PT. Angkasa PuraII, 40 BKO-military personnel who assisted and 40 staff personnel outsoursing. The system and airport security procedures will refer to the Regulation of the Minister of Transportation No. 9 of 2010 about the National Aviation Security Programme and ICAO in Annex17 on Security and Document-8973 on the Security Manual for Safeguarding Civil Aviation Against Acts of Unlawful Interference, that the safety and security systems at airports should be the maximum, using equipment and adequate procedures that ensure safety and smooth flight. Pembangunan Bandara Kualanamu Medan merupakan alternatif untuk mengatasi keterbatasan operasional dan tanah yang dialami Bandara Polonia. Program peningkatan keamanan bandara Kualanamu Medan saat dioperasikan meliputi aspek keamanan bandara, penyediaan fasilitas yang terdiri dari: 12unit fasilitas X-Ray, 14 unit Walking Through Mental Detector (WTMD), 24 unit Hand Held Metal Detector (HHMD), 2 unit Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)dan sistem Deteksi peledak, 2 unit Liquit Pindai Detecto, 2 unit Detector Nubikara (Nuklir, Biologi, Kimia, Radio Aktif), Badan Scane 1 unit, Bandara Untuk Surveillance Perimeter, 4 Mobil Keamanan Inspeksi dan Sepeda Motor petugas keamanan di Medan Bandara Kualanamu sebesar 204 personel yang terdiri dari 124 personil dari PT Angkasa Pura II, 40 BKO-personil militer yang dibantu dan 40 personil staf outsoursing. Sistem dan prosedur keamanan bandara akan mengacu pada Peraturan Menteri Perhubungan Nomor 9 tahun 2010 tentang National Aviation Security Program dan ICAO dalam Annex-17 tentang Keamanan dan manual dokumen-8973 tentang Keamanan Penerbangan Sipil upaya pelanggaran hukum, bahwa keamanan dan sistem keamanan di bandara harus maksimal , menggunakan peralatan dan prosedur yang memadai yang menjamin keamanan dan kelancaran penerbangan.

scholarly journals How is Daylight Saving Time still a thing?: Disruptions from Daylight Saving Time transitions lead to cognitive performance deficits

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samoni Nag ◽  
Alfred Brian Yu ◽  
Stephen Mitroff
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Airport Security ◽  
Time Shift ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Performance Deficits ◽  
Daylight Saving Time ◽  
Daylight Saving

Visual search, looking for targets among distractors, underlies many critical professions and must often be performed optimally regardless of the time of day, week, or year. However, external events can disrupt the ability to perform. The current study examined one such specific event: Daylight Saving Time (DST) transitions—when the clock shifts forward or backward by one hour. Performance on a visual search task was assessed using “big data” from the mobile app Airport Scanner (Kedlin Co.), wherein players serve as airport security screeners searching for prohibited items among allowed items. Performance was compared between individuals who played a specific level during the week leading up to a DST transition (pre-DST transition) and those who played that same level during the week following a transition (post-DST transition). Analyses of data gathered over seven years revealed that, relative to the pre-DST group, the post- DST group was significantly slower, less likely to complete the level, more likely to fail due to running out of time, and had more false alarms. A control set of data (between individuals who played the level before or after a Sunday without a DST transition) revealed no significant differences. These results suggest that even minor, one-hour time shifts can create problems as they can adversely affect cognitive functioning; when an entire workforce simultaneously undergoes a sudden time shift (e.g., a DST transition), problems can potentially be exacerbated for the broader society. The current study lends support for existing efforts to end the archaic practice of DST.

Zone-axis ALCHEMI for the rapid assessment of site occupancies in garnets

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 706-707
Author(s):  
M.T. Otten ◽  
P.R. Buseck
Keyword(s):  
Single Crystals ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Site Occupancy ◽  
Zone Axis ◽  
Synthetic Compounds ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Large Group ◽  
Crystallographic Planes

ALCHEMI (Atom Location by CHannelling-Enhanced Microanalysis) is a TEM technique for determining site occupancies in single crystals. The method uses the channelling of incident electrons along specific crystallographic planes. This channelling results in enhanced x-ray emission from the atoms on those planes, thereby providing the required site-occupancy information. ALCHEMI has been applied with success to spinel, olivine and feldspar. For the garnets, which form a large group of important minerals and synthetic compounds, the channelling effect is weaker, and significant results are more difficult to obtain. It was found, however, that the channelling effect is pronounced for low-index zone-axis orientations, yielding a method for assessing site occupancies that is rapid and easy to perform.

The Influences of Goal and Laterality of a Prepared Hand Response on a Co-Occurring Visual Search

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Coutté ◽  
Gérard Olivier ◽  
Sylvane Faure
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Visual Target ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Response Preparation ◽  
Manual Response ◽  
Response Hand ◽  
Computer Screen ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Manual Interaction

Computer use generally requires manual interaction with human-computer interfaces. In this experiment, we studied the influence of manual response preparation on co-occurring shifts of attention to information on a computer screen. The participants were to carry out a visual search task on a computer screen while simultaneously preparing to reach for either a proximal or distal switch on a horizontal device, with either their right or left hand. The response properties were not predictive of the target’s spatial position. The results mainly showed that the preparation of a manual response influenced visual search: (1) The visual target whose location was congruent with the goal of the prepared response was found faster; (2) the visual target whose location was congruent with the laterality of the response hand was found faster; (3) these effects have a cumulative influence on visual search performance; (4) the magnitude of the influence of the response goal on visual search is marginally negatively correlated with the rapidity of response execution. These results are discussed in the general framework of structural coupling between perception and motor planning.

Use It and Still Lose It?

GeroPsych ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Schwaninger ◽  
Diana Hardmeier ◽  
Judith Riegelnig ◽  
Mike Martin
Keyword(s):  
Object Recognition ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Recognition Test ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Airport Security ◽  
Visual Object ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Object Recognition Test ◽  
X Ray

In recent years, research on cognitive aging increasingly has focused on the cognitive development across middle adulthood. However, little is still known about the long-term effects of intensive job-specific training of fluid intellectual abilities. In this study we examined the effects of age- and job-specific practice of cognitive abilities on detection performance in airport security x-ray screening. In Experiment 1 (N = 308; 24–65 years), we examined performance in the X-ray Object Recognition Test (ORT), a speeded visual object recognition task in which participants have to find dangerous items in x-ray images of passenger bags; and in Experiment 2 (N = 155; 20–61 years) in an on-the-job object recognition test frequently used in baggage screening. Results from both experiments show high performance in older adults and significant negative age correlations that cannot be overcome by more years of job-specific experience. We discuss the implications of our findings for theories of lifespan cognitive development and training concepts.

scholarly journals Online Mobile App Usage as an Indicator of Sleep Behavior and Job Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunjong Park ◽  
Morelle Arian ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
Leon Sasson ◽  
Jeffrey Kahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Sleep Behavior

scholarly journals When more is more: redundant modifiers can facilitate visual search

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolyn Rehrig ◽  
Reese A. Cullimore ◽  
John M. Henderson ◽  
Fernanda Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Real World ◽  
Search Space ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Redundant Information ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Target Template ◽  
Template Specificity

Abstract According to the Gricean Maxim of Quantity, speakers provide the amount of information listeners require to correctly interpret an utterance, and no more (Grice in Logic and conversation, 1975). However, speakers do tend to violate the Maxim of Quantity often, especially when the redundant information improves reference precision (Degen et al. in Psychol Rev 127(4):591–621, 2020). Redundant (non-contrastive) information may facilitate real-world search if it narrows the spatial scope under consideration, or improves target template specificity. The current study investigated whether non-contrastive modifiers that improve reference precision facilitate visual search in real-world scenes. In two visual search experiments, we compared search performance when perceptually relevant, but non-contrastive modifiers were included in the search instruction. Participants (NExp. 1 = 48, NExp. 2 = 48) searched for a unique target object following a search instruction that contained either no modifier, a location modifier (Experiment 1: on the top left, Experiment 2: on the shelf), or a color modifier (the black lamp). In Experiment 1 only, the target was located faster when the verbal instruction included either modifier, and there was an overall benefit of color modifiers in a combined analysis for scenes and conditions common to both experiments. The results suggest that violations of the Maxim of Quantity can facilitate search when the violations include task-relevant information that either augments the target template or constrains the search space, and when at least one modifier provides a highly reliable cue. Consistent with Degen et al. (2020), we conclude that listeners benefit from non-contrastive information that improves reference precision, and engage in rational reference comprehension. Significance statement This study investigated whether providing more information than someone needs to find an object in a photograph helps them to find that object more easily, even though it means they need to interpret a more complicated sentence. Before searching a scene, participants were either given information about where the object would be located in the scene, what color the object was, or were only told what object to search for. The results showed that providing additional information helped participants locate an object in an image more easily only when at least one piece of information communicated what part of the scene the object was in, which suggests that more information can be beneficial as long as that information is specific and helps the recipient achieve a goal. We conclude that people will pay attention to redundant information when it supports their task. In practice, our results suggest that instructions in other contexts (e.g., real-world navigation, using a smartphone app, prescription instructions, etc.) can benefit from the inclusion of what appears to be redundant information.

Isoresponse time regions for the evaluation of visual search performance in ergonomic interface models

Ergonomics ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOHYUNG KEE ◽  
EUI S. JUNG ◽  
MIN K. CHUNG
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Interface Models
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