Category and Word Search: Generalizing Search Principles to Complex Processing.
Abstract
The research examines how the major phenomena in simple visual search generalize to searching for words and categories of words. Seven prominent effects in the visual search literature are reviewed. Experiment 1 examined word and category visual search when the targets and distractor sets had a varied mapping (VM) across trials. Reaction time was a linear function of the number of comparisons with a positive slope of 48 msec per word, 92 msec per category. Results suggest self-terminating search with reaction time being a linear function of memory and display comparisons with little or no improvement with practice. Experiment 2 examined search with a consistent mapping between targets and distractors. Category search slope dropped to 2 msec and became non-linear. Word search slope dropped to 18 msec but was still linear. Experiment 3 examined simultaneous category detection and a concurrent serial recall digit-span task. Subjects could simultaneously perform the digit-span task and CM category search without deficit. However, combining VM category search and the digit-span task resulted in substantial performance deficit. The generality of effects across stimulus complexity levels and four principles of search processing are discussed with regard to automatic/control processing theory and production systems. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA115130
Entities
People
- Arthur D. Fisk
- Walter Schneider
Organizations
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign