Identifiability: a fast way to measure for identification performance

We present a new measure called target identifiability, as an efficient alternative for measuring identification scores. Identifiability is operationally defined as the amount of blur required to reduce the target signature to its identification threshold. It can quickly be determined using a simple adjustment procedure. To validate the new...

Visual search

Visual search, with or without the aid of optical or electro-optical instruments, plays a significant role in various types of military and civilian operations (e.g., reconnaissance, surveillance, and search and rescue). Advance knowledge of human visual search and target acquisition performance is often required to prepare flight scenarios (e.g...

Search experiment example

Visual search experiments can only provide useful results when the experimental conditions under which they are performed are strictly controlled. In field trials, one has little or no control over the environmental conditions. In contrast, laboratory experiments provide complete control over all relevant experimental parameters. Therefore,...

Image dataset for testing search and detection models

The TNO Human Factors Searchû2 image dataset consists of: a set of 44 high-resolution digital color images of different complex natural scenes, the ground truth corresponding to each of these scenes, and the results of psychophysical experiments on each of these images. The images in the Searchû2 dataset are a subset of a larger set that has...

Computational visual distinctness metric

A new computational visual distinctness metric based on principles of the early human visual system is presented. The metric is applied to quantify (1) the visual distinctness of targets in complex natural scenes and (2) the perceptual differences between compressed and uncompressed images. The new metric is shown (1) to predict human observer...

Attentional control during visual search: The effect of irrelevant singletons

Four experiments investigated whether a highly salient color singleton can be ignored during serial search. Observers searched for a target letter among nontarget letters and were instructed to ignore an irrelevant, highly salient color singleton that was either compatible or incompatible with the response to the target letter. The results...

Parallel search for a conjunction of contrast polarity and shape

When a target object embedded in an array of other objects can be distinguished along a single feature dimension (e.g., colour or shape), it can be detected in parallel. When a target object is defined by a conjunction of stimulus features, search has to be conducted serially, indicating that the visual system is incapable of conducting a...

Searching for traffic signals while engaged in compensatory tracking

An experiment is described in which subjects were required to search for familiar traffic signals. Half the time this was done while also engaged in a manual compensatory tracking task. The experimental variables of the visual search task were color, total number of signals exposed, the number of relevant signals, and the density of the signals....