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Dual-target cost in visual search for multiple unfamiliar faces

Dual-target cost in visual search for multiple unfamiliar faces
Dual-target cost in visual search for multiple unfamiliar faces
The efficiency of visual search for one (single-target) and either of two (dual-target) unfamiliar faces was explored to understand the manifestations of capacity and guidance limitations in face search. The visual similarity of distractor faces to target faces was manipulated using morphing (Experiments 1 and 2) and multidimensional scaling (Experiment 3). A dual-target cost was found in all experiments, evidenced by slower and less accurate search in dual- than single-target conditions. The dual-target cost was unequal across the targets, with performance being maintained on one target and reduced on the other, which we label “preferred” and “non-preferred” respectively. We calculated the capacity for each target face and show reduced capacity for representing the non-preferred target face. However, results show that the capacity for the non-preferred target can be increased when the dual-target condition is conducted after participants complete the single-target conditions. Analyses of eye movements revealed evidence for weak guidance of fixations in single-target search, and when searching for the preferred target in dual-target search. Overall, the experiments show dual-target search for faces is capacity- and guidance-limited, leading to superior search for one face over the other in dual-target search. However, learning faces individually may improve capacity with the second face.
0096-1523
1504-1519
Mestry, Natalie
7f725141-430d-4118-a43d-943f6bae787f
Menneer, Tamaryn
d684eaf6-1494-4004-9973-cb8ccc628efa
Cave, Kyle R.
38f1020d-3cf6-4165-b462-4d9efd448790
Godwin, Hayward
df22dc0c-01d1-440a-a369-a763801851e5
Donnelly, Nicholas
05c83b6b-ee8d-4c9d-85dc-c5dcd6b5427b
Mestry, Natalie
7f725141-430d-4118-a43d-943f6bae787f
Menneer, Tamaryn
d684eaf6-1494-4004-9973-cb8ccc628efa
Cave, Kyle R.
38f1020d-3cf6-4165-b462-4d9efd448790
Godwin, Hayward
df22dc0c-01d1-440a-a369-a763801851e5
Donnelly, Nicholas
05c83b6b-ee8d-4c9d-85dc-c5dcd6b5427b

Mestry, Natalie, Menneer, Tamaryn, Cave, Kyle R., Godwin, Hayward and Donnelly, Nicholas (2017) Dual-target cost in visual search for multiple unfamiliar faces. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 43 (8), 1504-1519. (doi:10.1037/xhp0000388).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The efficiency of visual search for one (single-target) and either of two (dual-target) unfamiliar faces was explored to understand the manifestations of capacity and guidance limitations in face search. The visual similarity of distractor faces to target faces was manipulated using morphing (Experiments 1 and 2) and multidimensional scaling (Experiment 3). A dual-target cost was found in all experiments, evidenced by slower and less accurate search in dual- than single-target conditions. The dual-target cost was unequal across the targets, with performance being maintained on one target and reduced on the other, which we label “preferred” and “non-preferred” respectively. We calculated the capacity for each target face and show reduced capacity for representing the non-preferred target face. However, results show that the capacity for the non-preferred target can be increased when the dual-target condition is conducted after participants complete the single-target conditions. Analyses of eye movements revealed evidence for weak guidance of fixations in single-target search, and when searching for the preferred target in dual-target search. Overall, the experiments show dual-target search for faces is capacity- and guidance-limited, leading to superior search for one face over the other in dual-target search. However, learning faces individually may improve capacity with the second face.

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visual search for multiple faces (in press) APA.pdf - Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 28 December 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 April 2017
Published date: August 2017
Organisations: Psychology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 404262
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/404262
ISSN: 0096-1523
PURE UUID: db40cbd4-e1e3-4fc4-98b5-d6fc09097a6c
ORCID for Hayward Godwin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0005-1232-500X

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Date deposited: 05 Jan 2017 10:39
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:01

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Contributors

Author: Natalie Mestry
Author: Tamaryn Menneer
Author: Kyle R. Cave
Author: Hayward Godwin ORCID iD
Author: Nicholas Donnelly

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