Effect of Brightness of Assisted Target Detection Cues in a Simulated Search and Rescue Task

Abstract

Assisted target detection (ATD) systems are designed to direct the user's attention to relevant areas of the display, but the majority of the research into the use of such systems does not consider the design of the cue itself. Within a search and rescue (SAR) context, there is a possibility that cues designed to facilitate effective search could in fact distract a SAR operator's search of the terrain, reducing the probability of locating a crashed aircraft. In order to determine if salience matters in the design of an ATD system for video-based sensor systems, it is important to study the impact of highly salient cues on visual search. In a previous experiment where the saliency of a cue was varied using different levels of cue brightness in a search task with static imagery, it was found that the more salient cues produced faster response times without any detrimental effects on accuracy. In the present experiment we used dynamic imagery from a SAR simulator. We found that cues of different brightness improved the sensitivity (d') of participants when compared to conditions in which no cues were available, but there was no evidence of any differences between the different levels of cue brightness. These findings suggest that cue brightness may not influence the salience of cues as much as one might expect in the context of a full-motion simulation. Other visual dimensions such as visual onsets or colour may potentially play a larger role in determining the saliency of ATD system cues when used in a task involving motion such as SAR.