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A Bayesian Optimal Foraging Model of Human Visual Search

Cain, Matthew S.; Vul, Edward; Clark, Kait; Mitroff, Stephen R.

Authors

Matthew S. Cain

Edward Vul

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Dr Kait Clark Kait.Clark@uwe.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Psychology (Cognitive and Neuro)

Stephen R. Mitroff



Abstract

Real-world visual searches often contain a variable and unknown number of targets. Such searches present difficult metacognitive challenges, as searchers must decide when to stop looking for additional targets, which results in high miss rates in multiple-target searches. In the study reported here, we quantified human strategies in multiple-target search via an ecological optimal foraging model and investigated whether searchers adapt their strategies to complex target-distribution statistics. Separate groups of individuals searched displays with the number of targets per trial sampled from different geometric distributions but with the same overall target prevalence. As predicted by optimal foraging theory, results showed that individuals searched longer when they expected more targets to be present and adjusted their expectations on-line during each search by taking into account the higher-order, across-trial target distributions. However, compared with modeled ideal observers, participants systematically responded as if the target distribution were more uniform than it was, which suggests that training could improve multiple-target search performance. © The Author(s) 2012.

Citation

Cain, M. S., Vul, E., Clark, K., & Mitroff, S. R. (2012). A Bayesian Optimal Foraging Model of Human Visual Search. Psychological Science, 23(9), 1047-1054. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612440460

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 31, 2012
Online Publication Date Aug 6, 2012
Publication Date Jan 1, 2012
Deposit Date Aug 2, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Psychological Science
Print ISSN 0956-7976
Electronic ISSN 1467-9280
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 23
Issue 9
Pages 1047-1054
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612440460
Keywords visual search, environmental effects
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/944151
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0956797612440460