Visual search strategies in lab and life

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Nowakowska ◽  
Amelia R. Hunt ◽  
Alasdair D F Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Search Efficiency ◽  
Complex Objects ◽  
Line Segments ◽  
Surface Level ◽  
Dramatic Shift ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

To what extent can our eye movement be thought of as efficient, that is, targeting locations where high resolution is needed to differentiate objects? Previous research reported conflicting conclusions: people are near-optimal, random, or even counter-optimal, according to different lines of evidence. Researchers tend to use the simplest possible environments to measure search efficiency, assuming these will minimize the individual differences in experience that could introduce unnecessary variation in behaviour. Here we measured the efficiency of 30 participants as they searched through simple line segment stimuli and through a set of complex icons. We observed a dramatic shift from highly variable strategies with the line segments, to uniformly efficient search with the icons. These results demonstrate that changing what may initially appear to be irrelevant, surface-level details of the task can lead to large changes in measured behaviour, and that visual primitives are not always representative of more complex objects.

Less is more: Simple stimuli provoke more variable search strategies.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Nowakowska ◽  
Alasdair D F Clarke ◽  
Jessica Christie ◽  
Josephine Reuther ◽  
Amelia R. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Line Segment ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Complex Objects ◽  
Search Behaviour ◽  
Line Segments ◽  
Surface Level ◽  
Efficient Search ◽  
Less Is More ◽  
Dramatic Shift

We measured the efficiency of 30 participants as they searched through simple line segment stimuli and through a set of complex icons. We observed a dramatic shift from highly variable, and mostly inefficient, strategies with the line segments, to uniformly efficient search behaviour with the icons. These results demonstrate that changing what may initially appear to be irrelevant, surface-level details of the task can lead to large changes in measured behaviour, and that visual primitives are not always representative of more complex objects.

scholarly journals Individual Differences in Working Memory Capacity and Visual Search in Reading

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph S. Redden ◽  
Kaylee Eady ◽  
Raymond M Klein ◽  
Jean Saint-Aubin
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Search Efficiency ◽  
Prose Passage ◽  
Wide Range

Individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) are related to variations in a wide range of cognitive tasks. Surprisingly, effects of individual differences in working memory capacity are somewhat limited in visual search tasks. Here we tested the hypothesis that such an effect would be robust when search was one component of a dual task. Participants were presented strings of letters using rapid serial visual presentation and were required to detect all instances of a particular target letter. In Experiment 1, participants performed the letter search task in three contexts, while: a) reading a prose passage, b) processing a stream of random words, or c) processing a random stream of non-words. In the absence of the dual task of reading prose, and in line with much of the literature on individual differences in WMC and visual search, search performance was unaffected by WMC. As hypothesized, however, higher working memory capacity participants detected more target letters than lower capacity participants in the “true” dual task (searching while reading prose). The hypothesized results from the prose passage were replicated in Experiment 2. These results show that visual search efficiency is dramatically affected by WMC when searching is combined with another cognitive task but not when it is performed in isolation. Our findings are consistent with recent suggestions that visual search efficiency will be affected by WMC so long as searching is embedded in a context that entails managing resource allocation between concurrent tasks.

Spatial and Nonspatial Working Memory and Visual Search

2011 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 893-907
Author(s):  
Junichi Takahashi ◽  
Takao Hatakeyama
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Conjunction Search ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Search Rate ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
The Individual

It has been indicated that visual search is interfered with in spatial working memory (WM), although not in nonspatial WM. In this study, the effects on visual search of individual differences in spatial and nonspatial WM were examined. Two visual search conditions were used: a conjunction search condition comprising two features (color and shape) and a disjunction condition comprising only one feature (color or shape). 96 participants (42 men, 54 women, M age = 20.9 yr., SD = 3.5) participated in this study. The participants were divided into high and low WM groups based on their spatial and nonspatial WM test scores. As a result, statistically significant group differences in the conjunction search rate were observed in spatial WM but not in nonspatial WM. These results suggest there is a relationship between visual search and the individual spatial WM ability, but this does not hold for nonspatial WM.

Algorithms for automated montage synthesis of images from laser-scanning confocal microscopes

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 650-651
Author(s):  
D. E. Becker
Keyword(s):  
Image Analysis ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Cell Counting ◽  
Wide Area ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Computational Synthesis ◽  
Automated Cell Counting ◽  
Partial View ◽  
The Individual

An efficient, robust, and widely-applicable technique is presented for computational synthesis of high-resolution, wide-area images of a specimen from a series of overlapping partial views. This technique can also be used to combine the results of various forms of image analysis, such as segmentation, automated cell counting, deblurring, and neuron tracing, to generate representations that are equivalent to processing the large wide-area image, rather than the individual partial views. This can be a first step towards quantitation of the higher-level tissue architecture. The computational approach overcomes mechanical limitations, such as hysterisis and backlash, of microscope stages. It also automates a procedure that is currently done manually. One application is the high-resolution visualization and/or quantitation of large batches of specimens that are much wider than the field of view of the microscope.The automated montage synthesis begins by computing a concise set of landmark points for each partial view. The type of landmarks used can vary greatly depending on the images of interest. In many cases, image analysis performed on each data set can provide useful landmarks. Even when no such “natural” landmarks are available, image processing can often provide useful landmarks.

Methodological Considerations and Individual Differences in Visual Search

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher K. Barrett ◽  
Erin C. Anderson ◽  
Ruben R. Romero ◽  
Daniel J. Staggs ◽  
Mohammed Kordbacheh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Methodological Considerations

Individual Uniqueness in the Neonatal Functional Connectome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiushi Wang ◽  
Yuehua Xu ◽  
Tengda Zhao ◽  
Zhilei Xu ◽  
Yong He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Individual Identification ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Functional Connectome ◽  
Middle Range ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Identification Analysis ◽  
The Brain

Abstract The functional connectome is highly distinctive in adults and adolescents, underlying individual differences in cognition and behavior. However, it remains unknown whether the individual uniqueness of the functional connectome is present in neonates, who are far from mature. Here, we utilized the multiband resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 40 healthy neonates from the Developing Human Connectome Project and a split-half analysis approach to characterize the uniqueness of the functional connectome in the neonatal brain. Through functional connectome-based individual identification analysis, we found that all the neonates were correctly identified, with the most discriminative regions predominantly confined to the higher-order cortices (e.g., prefrontal and parietal regions). The connectivities with the highest contributions to individual uniqueness were primarily located between different functional systems, and the short- (0–30 mm) and middle-range (30–60 mm) connectivities were more distinctive than the long-range (>60 mm) connectivities. Interestingly, we found that functional data with a scanning length longer than 3.5 min were able to capture the individual uniqueness in the functional connectome. Our results highlight that individual uniqueness is present in the functional connectome of neonates and provide insights into the brain mechanisms underlying individual differences in cognition and behavior later in life.

Predictors of Positive Psychological Capital: An Attempt Among the Teacher Communities in Rural Jharkhand, India

2021 ◽  
pp. 0258042X2199101
Author(s):  
Mukti Clarence ◽  
Viju P. D. ◽  
Lalatendu Kesari Jena ◽  
Tony Sam George
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Meaningful Work ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Positive Psychological Capital ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

In the recent times, researchers have shown an increased interest in positive psychological capital (PsyCap). However, it is acknowledged that due to the limited number of studies conducted on the antecedents of psychological capital, there is a lack of sufficient data for conclusively proving the antecedents of PsyCap. Consequently, this article aims to explore the potential antecedents of PsyCap as a reliable source of data in the context of rural school teachers. The focus is to investigate both the individual differences and the contextual factors as desirable variables that constitute PsyCap among the school teachers of rural Jharkhand, India. Samples of 1,120 respondents from different rural schools were collected and analysed with Structural Equation Modeling (AMOS 20.0). The findings of the study explained that both the individual differences ( proactive personality and emotional intelligence) and the contextual factors ( perceived organizational support, servant leadership and meaningful work) have a positive relationship with PsyCap. The impact of PsyCap on teacher performance can form the basis for further research on the subject. JEL Codes: M12, M53

scholarly journals Individual Differences in the Vocal Communication of Malayan Tapirs (Tapirus indicus) Considering Familiarity and Relatedness

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1026
Author(s):  
Robin Walb ◽  
Lorenzo von Fersen ◽  
Theo Meijer ◽  
Kurt Hammerschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Solitary Living ◽  
Low Visibility ◽  
Living Species ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Tapirus Indicus

Studies in animal communication have shown that many species have individual distinct calls. These individual distinct vocalizations can play an important role in animal communication because they can carry important information about the age, sex, personality, or social role of the signaler. Although we have good knowledge regarding the importance of individual vocalization in social living mammals, it is less clear to what extent solitary living mammals possess individual distinct vocalizations. We recorded and analyzed the vocalizations of 14 captive adult Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) (six females and eight males) to answer this question. We investigated whether familiarity or relatedness had an influence on call similarity. In addition to sex-related differences, we found significant differences between all subjects, comparable to the individual differences found in highly social living species. Surprisingly, kinship appeared to have no influence on call similarity, whereas familiar subjects exhibited significantly higher similarity in their harmonic calls compared to unfamiliar or related subjects. The results support the view that solitary animals could have individual distinct calls, like highly social animals. Therefore, it is likely that non-social factors, like low visibility, could have an influence on call individuality. The increasing knowledge of their behavior will help to protect this endangered species.

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