In search of experience effects: How TSA officers differ from undergraduates on visual search tasks.

Mitroff, Stephen R; Biggs, Adam T; Cain, Matthew S; Darling, Elise F; Clark, Kait; Adamo, Stephen H; Dowd, Emma Wu

Abstract

Visual search is a routine activity that people perform countless times each day. Search is also crucial for certain professions (e.g., airport security, radiology), and here we examine how the extensive practice gained through these careers alters search abilities. By comparing undergraduate participants from Duke University and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Raleigh-Durham Airport, we examine the effects of experience on visual search performance. In a laboratory we established at the airport, TSA officers completed search tasks and individual differences assessments during their normal work hours. Results from several search tasks demonstrated both similarities and differences in performance between the undergraduates and TSA officers; for example, the officers were more diligent searchers in a single-target search, but both populations showed performance decrements in multiple-target searches. By manipulating search parameters and experimental conditions (e.g., explicit instructions, time constraints), we reveal nuanced effects gained through visual search experience.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Psychonomic Society
• Start Date: Nov 1, 2012
• End Date: Nov 1, 2012
• Acceptance Date: Aug 1, 2012
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2012
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/942229
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : Psychonomic Society