Auditory Monitoring of up to Eight Simultaneous Sources

1994 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 505-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis J. Folds ◽  
Jeffrey M. Gerth
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Auditory Signal ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Moderate Density ◽  
Auditory Monitoring ◽  
Launch Event ◽  
Very High

The present research examined visual and auditory monitoring of independent, concurrent sources. Subjects monitored from one to eight concurrent visual indicators for the occurrence of a “launch” event. Five between-groups conditions were studied: a visual-only group, plus four audiovisual groups that differed in the amount of information provided over the auditory channel. Accuracy scores were very high for all groups. Response times showed an overall increase with display density (number of concurrent sources). A significant group x density interaction revealed an advantage of one of the audiovisual conditions compared to the visual-only group at moderate density levels (5 or 6 concurrent sources), but not at lower or higher density levels. This finding probably indicates the value of an auditory signal to reduce visual search time.

scholarly journals Visual search behavior and performance in luggage screening: effects of time pressure, automation aid, and target expectancy

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Rieger ◽  
Lydia Heilmann ◽  
Dietrich Manzey
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Target Location ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Search Behavior ◽  
High Time ◽  
Luggage Screening ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Automated Support

AbstractVisual inspection of luggage using X-ray technology at airports is a time-sensitive task that is often supported by automated systems to increase performance and reduce workload. The present study evaluated how time pressure and automation support influence visual search behavior and performance in a simulated luggage screening task. Moreover, we also investigated how target expectancy (i.e., targets appearing in a target-often location or not) influenced performance and visual search behavior. We used a paradigm where participants used the mouse to uncover a portion of the screen which allowed us to track how much of the stimulus participants uncovered prior to their decision. Participants were randomly assigned to either a high (5-s time per trial) or a low (10-s time per trial) time-pressure condition. In half of the trials, participants were supported by an automated diagnostic aid (85% reliability) in deciding whether a threat item was present. Moreover, within each half, in target-present trials, targets appeared in a predictable location (i.e., 70% of targets appeared in the same quadrant of the image) to investigate effects of target expectancy. The results revealed better detection performance with low time pressure and faster response times with high time pressure. There was an overall negative effect of automation support because the automation was only moderately reliable. Participants also uncovered a smaller amount of the stimulus under high time pressure in target-absent trials. Target expectancy of target location improved accuracy, speed, and the amount of uncovered space needed for the search.Significance Statement Luggage screening is a safety–critical real-world visual search task which often has to be done under time pressure. The present research found that time pressure compromises performance and increases the risk to miss critical items even with automation support. Moreover, even highly reliable automated support may not improve performance if it does not exceed the manual capabilities of the human screener. Lastly, the present research also showed that heuristic search strategies (e.g., areas where targets appear more often) seem to guide attention also in luggage screening.

Effects of Symbol Structure on Visual Information Processing

1983 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 354-354
Author(s):  
Bruce W. Hamill ◽  
Robert A. Virzi
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Visual Information Processing ◽  
Array Size ◽  
Serial Search ◽  
Feature Structure

This investigation addresses the problem of attention in the processing of symbolic information from visual displays. Its scope includes the nature of attentive processes, the structural properties of stimuli that influence visual information processing mechanisms, and the manner in which these factors interact in perception. Our purpose is to determine the effects of configural feature structure on visual information processing. It is known that for stimuli comprising separable features, one can distinguish between conditions in which only one relevant feature differs among stimuli in the array being searched and conditions in which conjunctions of two (or more) features differ: Since the visual process of conjoining separable features is additive, this fact is reflected in search time as a function of array size, with feature conditions yielding flat curves associated with parallel search (no increase in search time across array sizes) and conjunction conditions yielding linearly increasing curves associated with serial search. We studied configural-feature stimuli within this framework to determine the nature of visual processing for such stimuli as a function of their feature structure. Response times of subjects searching for particular targets among structured arrays of distractors were measured in a speeded visual search task. Two different sets of stimulus materials were studied in array sizes of up to 32 stimuli, using both tachistoscope and microcomputer-based CRT presentation for each. Our results with configural stimuli indicate serial search in all of the conditions, with the slope of the response-time-by-array-size function being steeper for conjunction conditions than for feature conditions. However, for each of the two sets of stimuli we studied, there was one configuration that stood apart from the others in its set in that it yielded significantly faster response times, and in that conjunction conditions involving these particular stimuli tended to cluster with the feature conditions rather than with the other conjunction conditions. In addition to these major effects of particular targets, context effects also appeared in our results as effects of the various distractor sets used; certain of these context effects appear to be reversible. The effects of distractor sets on target search were studied in considerable detail. We have found interesting differences in visual processing between stimuli comprising separable features and those comprising configural features. We have also been able to characterize the effects we have found with configural-feature stimuli as being related to the specific feature structure of the target stimulus in the context of the specific feature structure of distractor stimuli. These findings have strong implications for the design of symbology that can enhance visual performance in the use of automated displays.

scholarly journals Color Can Shorten Breakthrough Times in Continuous Flash Suppression through Increased Salience and Task Relevance

Vision ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Christian Valuch
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Interocular Suppression ◽  
Continuous Flash Suppression ◽  
Task Relevance ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Dominant Eye ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
And Task

Color can enhance the perception of relevant stimuli by increasing their salience and guiding visual search towards stimuli that match a task-relevant color. Using Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS), the current study investigated whether color facilitates the discrimination of targets that are difficult to perceive due to interocular suppression. Gabor patterns of two or four cycles per degree (cpd) were shown as targets to the non-dominant eye of human participants. CFS masks were presented at a rate of 10 Hz to the dominant eye, and participants had the task to report the target’s orientation as soon as they could discriminate it. The 2-cpd targets were robustly suppressed and resulted in much longer response times compared to 4-cpd targets. Moreover, only for 2-cpd targets, two color-related effects were evident. First, in trials where targets and CFS masks had different colors, targets were reported faster than in trials where targets and CFS masks had the same color. Second, targets with a known color, either cyan or yellow, were reported earlier than targets whose color was randomly cyan or yellow. The results suggest that the targets’ entry to consciousness may have been speeded by color-mediated effects relating to increased (bottom-up) salience and (top-down) task relevance.

Telephone Conversations Affect the Executive but not the Alerting or Orienting Network

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melina Kunar ◽  
Derrick Watson ◽  
Rhiannon Richards ◽  
Daniel Gunnell
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Attentional Networks ◽  
Attention Tasks ◽  
Conflict Effect ◽  
The Individual

Previous work has shown that talking on a mobile phone leads to an impairment of visual attention. Gunnell et al. (2020) investigated the locus of these dual-task impairments and found that although phone conversations led to cognitive delays in response times, other mechanisms underlying particular selective attention tasks were unaffected. Here we investigated which attentional networks, if any, were impaired by having a phone conversation. We used the Attentional Network Task (ANT) to evaluate performance of the alerting, orienting and executive attentional networks, both in conditions where people were engaged in a conversation and where they were silent. Two experiments showed that there was a robust delay in response across all three networks. However, at the individual network level, holding a conversation did not influence the size of the alerting or orienting effects but it did reduce the size of the conflict effect within the executive network. The findings suggest that holding a conversation can reduce the overall speed of responding and, via its influence on the executive network, can reduce the amount of information that can be processed from the environment.

scholarly journals Relative frequency of attribute relevance and response times in visual search

1974 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
George C. Stone ◽  
Shirley C. Peeke
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Relative Frequency ◽  
Response Times

Effects of Image Segmentation and Target Number on Visual Search: An Eye-Tracking Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1987-1991
Author(s):  
Kaifeng Liu ◽  
Calvin Ka-lun Or
Keyword(s):  
Image Segmentation ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Fixation Duration ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Target Number ◽  
Lower Accuracy ◽  
Time Accuracy

This is an eye-tracking study examining the effects of image segmentation and target number on visual search performance. A two-way repeated-measures computer-based visual search test was used for data collection. Thirty students participated in the test, in which they were asked to search for all of the Landolt Cs in 80 arrays of closed rings. The dependent variables were search time, accuracy, fixation count, and average fixation duration. Our principal findings were that some of the segmentation methods significantly improved accuracy, and reduced search time, fixation count, and average fixation duration, compared with the no-segmentation condition. Increased target number was found to be associated with longer search time, lower accuracy, more fixations, and longer average fixation duration. Our study indicates that although visual search tasks with multiple targets are relatively difficult, the visual search accuracy and efficiency can potentially be improved with the aid of image segmentation.

Repeated Assessment of Stress, Mood and Performance Changes Resulting from Exposure to Vessel Motions at Sea

1979 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 549-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Pepper ◽  
Steven F. Wiker
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Motion Sickness ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Physiological Measures ◽  
Repeated Testing ◽  
Performance Tasks ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Auditory Monitoring

A preliminary study was conducted with six experienced male Coast Guardsmen and a small monohull vessel (95' Coast Guard Patrol Boat) to evaluate the feasibility of a proposed experimental paradigm as well as the sensitivity of an array of performance, physiological and affective state measures to vessel motions and motion sickness. Performance measures (e.g. Navigation Plotting, Critical Tracking, Visual Search, Complex Auditory Monitoring, Grammatical Reasoning, etc.), physiological measures (e.g., motion sickness severity, stress hormone excretion, urine output and specific gravity), and affective state measures (e.g., mood dimensions) were sampled continuously for eight hours each day for three consecutive days. All variables were compared between control (dockside, engines running) and steaming conditions (four-hour octagonal steaming patterns were repeated twice each eight hour day). Results show all physiological measures examined to be sensitive to the Influence of vessel motions or motion sickness. Motion sickness severity was found to rise and fall depending upon the encounter direction of the vessel to the movement of the primary swell; steaming courses with head or bow seas produced significantly greater degrees of illness than did courses possessing stern or quartering seas. Vessel motions led to significant increases in crew fatigue and changes in concentration. Some performance tasks (e.g. Navigation Plotting and Visual Search) were degraded at sea despite the potential contribution of practice effects, habituation to stress and motivation to perform. The Implications of such factors are discussed In terms of past, current and future performance assessment paradigms utilizing repeated testing.

scholarly journals Spatial Auditory Cueing for a Dynamic Three-Dimensional Virtual Reality Visual Search Task

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1766-1770
Author(s):  
Rachel J. Cunio ◽  
David Dommett ◽  
Joseph Houpt
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Visual System ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Visual Awareness ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Auditory Cues

Maintaining spatial awareness is a primary concern for operators, but relying only on visual displays can cause visual system overload and lead to performance decrements. Our study examined the benefits of providing spatialized auditory cues for maintaining visual awareness as a method of combating visual system overload. We examined visual search performance of seven participants in an immersive, dynamic (moving), three-dimensional, virtual reality environment both with no cues, non-masked, spatialized auditory cues, and masked, spatialized auditory cues. Results indicated a significant reduction in visual search time from the no-cue condition when either auditory cue type was presented, with the masked auditory condition slower. The results of this study can inform attempts to improve visual search performance in operational environments, such as determining appropriate display types for providing spatial information.

Field Dependence and Driver Visual Search Behavior

1978 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 553-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Shinar ◽  
Edward D. McDowell ◽  
Nick J. Rackoff ◽  
Thomas H. Rockwell
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Field Dependence ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Search Behavior ◽  
Search Pattern ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Field Dependent ◽  
On The Road

This paper reports on two studies that examined the relationship between field dependence and on-the-road visual search behavior. In the first study, concerned with eye movements in curve negotiation, it was found that field-dependent subjects have a less effective visual search pattern. In the second study, young and aged drivers were compared on several information processing tasks and on their ability to maintain their eyes closed part of the time while driving. Of the various information processing tasks, only field dependence and visual search time correlated significantly with the mean time the drivers needed to maintain their eyes open while driving, Together the two studies indicate that field dependent subjects require more time to process the available visual information and are less effective in their visual search pattern.

When visual search target is rare: overweighting or under weighting the probability?

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1520-1524
Author(s):  
Hanshu Zhang ◽  
Joseph W. Houpt
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Visual Search Task ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Threshold Model ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Target Presence ◽  
Model Assumption ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
Low Prevalence

The prevalence of items in visual search may have substantial performance consequences. In laboratory visual search tasks in which the target is rare, viewers are likely to miss the target. A dual-threshold model proposed by Wolfe and Van Wert (2010) assumes that in the low prevalence condition, viewers shift their criteria resulting in more miss errors. However, from the prospective of prospect theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979), decision makers tend to overweight small probability. To explore how viewers subjectively weight the probability in the low prevalence visual search task, we compared viewers’ criteria with the optimal criteria by presenting different probability descriptions for a fixed prevalence rate. The data from this experiment indicated that target presence had an effect on viewers’ accuracy and response times but not probability descriptions. Viewers’ criteria under different probability descriptions were higher than optimal. These results are in accordance with the dual-threshold model assumption that viewers respond “target absent” more frequently than optimal, leading to more miss errors in the low prevalence condition.

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