The Influence of Spatial and Feature Probability Cuing in Visual Search

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p7469 ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Schwark ◽  
Igor Dolgov
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Probability Cuing ◽  
Feature Probability

scholarly journals Temporal integration of feature probability distributions in working memory

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Hansmann-Roth ◽  
Sóley Thorsteinsdóttir ◽  
Joy Geng ◽  
Arni Kristjansson
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Visual System ◽  
Uniform Distribution ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Temporal Integration ◽  
Target Feature ◽  
Target Distribution ◽  
Distribution Shape ◽  
Complex Target ◽  
Feature Probability

Humans are surprisingly good at learning the characteristics of their visual environment. Recent studies have revealed that not only can the visual system learn repeated features of visual search distractors, but their actual probability distributions. Search times were determined by the frequency of distractor features over consecutive search trials. Distractor distributions involve many exemplars on each trial, but whether observers can learn distributions where only a single exemplar from the distribution is presented on each trial is unknown. Here, we investigated potential learning of probability distributions of single targets during visual search. Over blocks of trials observers searched for an oddly-colored target that was drawn from either a Gaussian or uniform distribution. Not only was search influenced by the repetition of a target feature but more interestingly also by the probability of that feature within trial blocks. The same search targets, coming from the extremes of the two distributions were found significantly slower during the blocks where the distractors were drawn from a Gaussian distribution than from a uniform distribution indicating that observers were sensitive to the target probability determined by the distribution shape. In Experiment 2 we replicated the effect using binned distributions and revealed the limitations of target distribution encoding by using a more complex target distribution. Our results demonstrate detailed internal representations of target feature distributions and that the visual system integrates probability distributions of target colors over surprisingly long trial sequences.

Probability Cuing of Target Location Facilitates Visual Search Implicitly in Normal Participants and Patients with Hemispatial Neglect

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 520-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy J. Geng ◽  
Marlene Behrmann
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Target Location ◽  
Hemispatial Neglect ◽  
Probability Matching ◽  
Response Facilitation ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Probability Cuing ◽  
Target Locations ◽  
Contralesional Side ◽  
Do So

We explored how variability in the probability of target locations affects visual search in normal individuals and in patients with hemispatial neglect, a deficit in attending to the contralesional side of space. Young and elderly normal participants responded faster when targets appeared in the more probable region than when targets appeared in the less probable region. Similarly, patients were sensitive to the distribution of targets, even in the neglected field. Although the attentional gradient that characterizes neglect was not eliminated, the response facilitation due to the probability distribution was proportionate to that of control participants and equal in magnitude across the neglected field. All participants exploited the uneven distribution of targets to enhance task performance without explicit instructions to do so or awareness of biases in their behavior. These results suggest that attentional orientation and sensitivity to external probabilities are possibly dissociable. An early sensory and a late motor mechanism are postulated as possibly being involved in the observed probability-matching behavior of participants.

scholarly journals Testing temporal integration of feature probability distributions using role-reversal effects in visual search

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ömer Dağlar Tanrıkulu ◽  
Andrey Chetverikov ◽  
Arni Kristjansson
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Visual System ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Temporal Integration ◽  
Internal Representation ◽  
Statistical Properties ◽  
Role Reversal ◽  
Sensory History ◽  
Feature Probability

The visual system is sensitive to statistical properties of complex scenes and can encode feature probability distributions in detail. This encoding could reflect a passive process due to the visual system’s sensitivity to temporal perturbations in the input or a more active process of building probabilistic representations. To investigate this, we examined how observers temporally integrate two different orientation distributions from sequentially presented visual search trials. If the encoded probabilistic information is used in a Bayesian optimal way, observers should weigh more reliable information more strongly, such as feature distributions with low variance. We therefore manipulated the variance of the two feature distributions. Participants performed sequential odd-one-out visual search for an oddly oriented line among distractors. During successive learning trials, the distractor orientations were sampled from two different Gaussian distributions on alternating trials. Then, observers performed a ‘test trial’ where the orientations of the target and distractors were switched, allowing to assess observer’s internal representation of distractor distributions based on changes in response times. In three experiments we observed that observer’s search times on test trials depended mainly on the very last learning trial, indicating little temporal integration. Since temporal integration has been previously observed with this method, we conclude that when the input is unreliable, the visual system relies on the most recent stimulus instead of integrating it with previous ones. This indicates that the visual system prefers to utilize sensory history when the statistical properties of the environment are relatively stable

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.

Scientific Problem Solving in a Virtual Laboratory: A Comparison Between Individuals and Pairs

2008 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda A. Métrailler ◽  
Ester Reijnen ◽  
Cornelia Kneser ◽  
Klaus Opwis
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Scientific Problem ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Scientific Problem Solving ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Verbal Data ◽  
Psychological Knowledge ◽  
Problem Solving Task

This study compared individuals with pairs in a scientific problem-solving task. Participants interacted with a virtual psychological laboratory called Virtue to reason about a visual search theory. To this end, they created hypotheses, designed experiments, and analyzed and interpreted the results of their experiments in order to discover which of five possible factors affected the visual search process. Before and after their interaction with Virtue, participants took a test measuring theoretical and methodological knowledge. In addition, process data reflecting participants’ experimental activities and verbal data were collected. The results showed a significant but equal increase in knowledge for both groups. We found differences between individuals and pairs in the evaluation of hypotheses in the process data, and in descriptive and explanatory statements in the verbal data. Interacting with Virtue helped all students improve their domain-specific and domain-general psychological knowledge.

Visual Search Facilitation in Repeated Displays Depends on Visuospatial Working Memory

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela A. Manginelli ◽  
Franziska Geringswald ◽  
Stefan Pollmann
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Control Experiment ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Contextual Cueing ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Memory Resources

When distractor configurations are repeated over time, visual search becomes more efficient, even if participants are unaware of the repetition. This contextual cueing is a form of incidental, implicit learning. One might therefore expect that contextual cueing does not (or only minimally) rely on working memory resources. This, however, is debated in the literature. We investigated contextual cueing under either a visuospatial or a nonspatial (color) visual working memory load. We found that contextual cueing was disrupted by the concurrent visuospatial, but not by the color working memory load. A control experiment ruled out that unspecific attentional factors of the dual-task situation disrupted contextual cueing. Visuospatial working memory may be needed to match current display items with long-term memory traces of previously learned displays.

Age-related effects in the marking of old objects in visual search.

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur F. Kramer ◽  
Paul Atchley
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Age Related
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