Complex Visual Search Research Articles

Perceptual-Cognitive Skills of Basketball Referees: On-The-Court Visual Search Behavior.

Perceptual-cognitive skills are crucial in successfully managing information and decision-making in sports, particularly in high-pressure environments. We examined 16 basketball referees' on-the-court visual search behavior by comparing referees of different experience levels (experienced, n = 8; and novice, n = 8) and different court positions. Participants' visual search behavior was analyzed during 20 live gameplay situations using eye-tracking technology. Dependent variables were the number of eye fixations, mean fixation time, and total fixation time on selected areas of interest; and independent variables were the referees' experience and visual angles (lead and trail referee positions). Experienced referees exhibited significantly lower total fixation time than novice referees (p = .009). Referees in the trail position showed more fixations of shorter duration and a greater focus on the basket than those in the lead position. Our findings suggest that the visual search behavior of basketball referees varies with their court position and experience. These data provide valuable insights into referees' complex visual search patterns in the real-game context, and they highlight the importance of considering viewing angle and experience in future research.

Neurovascular coupling is altered in women who have a history of brain injury from intimate partner violence: a preliminary study.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global health crisis with 30% of women over the age of 15 experiencing at least one event in their lifetime. Brain injury (BI) due to head impacts and/or strangulation is a common but understudied part of this experience. Previous research has shown BI from other injury mechanisms can disrupt neurovascular coupling (NVC). To gain further insight into whether similar changes occur in this population, we assessed NVC responses in women with a history of IPV-BI. NVC responses were measured for the middle and posterior cerebral arteries (MCA, PCA) using transcranial Doppler ultrasound while participants performed a complex visual search task. The lifetime history of previous exposure to IPV-BI was captured using the Brain Injury Severity Assessment (BISA) along with measures of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, substance use, and demographic information. Initial analyses of NVC metrics were completed comparing participants who scored low vs. high on the BISA or did or did not experience non-fatal strangulation followed by a stepwise multiple regression to examine the impact of PTSD, anxiety, and depression on the relationship between the NVC metrics and IPV-BI. Baseline and peak cerebral blood velocity were higher and the percentage increase was lower in the PCA in the low compared to the high BISA group whereas no differences between the groups were apparent in the MCA. In addition, those participants who had been strangled had a lower initial slope and area under the curve in the PCA than those who had not experienced strangulation. Finally, the stepwise multiple regression demonstrated the percentage increase in the PCA was significantly related to the BISA score and both depression and anxiety significantly contributed to different components of the NVC response. This preliminary study demonstrated that a lifetime history of IPV-BI leads to subtle but significant disruptions to NVC responses which are modulated by comorbid depression and anxiety. Future studies should examine cerebrovascular function at the acute and subacute stages after IPV episodes to shed additional light on this experience and its outcomes.

Origin of Emotion Represented in Word Meaning Influences Complex Visual Search Effectiveness

Origin of Emotion Represented in Word Meaning Influences Complex Visual Search Effectiveness

Where’s Wanda? The influence of visual imagery vividness on visual search speed measured by means of hidden object pictures

Previous research demonstrated effects of visual imagery on search speed in visual search paradigms. However, these effects were rather small, questioning their ecological validity. Thus, our present study aimed to generalize these effects to more naturalistic material (i.e., a paradigm that allows for top-down strategies in highly complex visual search displays that include overlapping stimuli while simultaneously avoiding possibly confounding search instructions). One hundred and four participants with aphantasia (= absence of voluntary mental imagery) and 104 gender and age-matched controls were asked to find hidden objects in several hidden object pictures with search times recorded. Results showed that people with aphantasia were significantly slower than controls, even when controlling for age and general processing speed. Thus, effects of visual imagery might be strong enough to influence the perception of our real-life surroundings, probably because of the involvement of visual imagery in several top-down strategies.

Fixational eye movements affect visually guided behaviors in complex visual search tasks

Fixational eye movements affect visually guided behaviors in complex visual search tasks

Change-detection training and its effects on visual processing skills

Previous cognitive training research with the change-detection paradigm found only sparse effects that went beyond improvements in the training task but stressed an increase in fidelity of internal memory representations. Motivated by the demanding visual processing requirements of change-detection training, we extended this work by focusing on whether training on a change-detection task would improve visual processing skills. Fifty participants were randomly assigned to train on a change-detection task or on a control task for seven sessions. Participants’ visual processing skills were assessed before and after the intervention, focusing on visual search, contrast sensitivity, and contour integration. Our results suggest a general improvement in perceptual skills that was primarily driven by a conjunction search task and to a much lesser extent by a complex visual search task and a contrast sensitivity task. The data from the conjunction search task further suggest a causal link between training and improvements of perceptual as opposed to attentional processes. Since the change-detection paradigm is commonly used to assess working memory capacity, future research needs to investigate how much of its variance is explained by memory performance and how much is explained by perceptual processes.

Periodic attention operates faster during more complex visual search

Attention has been found to sample visual information periodically, in a wide range of frequencies below 20 Hz. This periodicity may be supported by brain oscillations at corresponding frequencies. We propose that part of the discrepancy in periodic frequencies observed in the literature is due to differences in attentional demands, resulting from heterogeneity in tasks performed. To test this hypothesis, we used visual search and manipulated task complexity, i.e., target discriminability (high, medium, low) and number of distractors (set size), while electro-encephalography was simultaneously recorded. We replicated previous results showing that the phase of pre-stimulus low-frequency oscillations predicts search performance. Crucially, such effects were observed at increasing frequencies within the theta-alpha range (6–18 Hz) for decreasing target discriminability. In medium and low discriminability conditions, correct responses were further associated with higher post-stimulus phase-locking than incorrect ones, in increasing frequency and latency. Finally, the larger the set size, the later the post-stimulus effect peaked. Together, these results suggest that increased complexity (lower discriminability or larger set size) requires more attentional cycles to perform the task, partially explaining discrepancies between reports of attentional sampling. Low-frequency oscillations structure the temporal dynamics of neural activity and aid top-down, attentional control for efficient visual processing.

Does task complexity impact the neurovascular coupling response similarly between males and females?

BackgroundWhile previous studies have demonstrated a complex visual scene search elicits a robust neurovascular coupling (NVC) response, it is unknown how the duration of visual stimuli presentation influences NVC metrics. This study examined how stimuli duration, in addition to biological sex and self‐reported engagement impact NVC responses.MethodsParticipants (n = 20, female = 10) completed four visual paradigms. Three involved simple visual shapes presented at 0.5‐, 2‐, and 4‐s intervals in randomized orders. The fourth paradigm was a complex visual scene search (“Where's Waldo?”). Participants completed eight cycles of 20‐s eyes‐closed followed by 40‐s eyes‐open. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound indexed posterior and middle cerebral artery velocities (PCA and MCA). Participants self‐reported their engagement following each task (1 [minimal] to 10 [maximal]).ResultsThe “Where's Waldo?” task evoked greater PCA percent increase (all p < 0.001) and area under the curve during the first 30‐s of the task (all p < 0.001) compared to simple shapes. Females displayed greater absolute baseline and peak PCA and MCA velocities across all tasks (all p < 0.002). Subjective engagement displayed moderate correlation levels with PCA percent increase (Spearman ρ = 0.58) and area under the curve (Spearman ρ = 0.60) metrics in males, whereas these were weak for females (Spearman ρ = 0.43 and ρ = 0.38, respectively).ConclusionsThe complex visual paradigm “Where's Waldo?” greatly augmented the signal‐to‐noise ratio within the PCA aspects of the NVC response compared to simple shapes. While both sexes had similar NVC responses, task engagement was more related to NVC metrics in males compared to females. Therefore, future NVC investigations should consider task engagement when designing studies.

Biomechanical and cognitive interactions during Visuo Motor Targeting Task

BackgroundBiomechanical analyses primarily focus on physical aspects of human movement; however, it is not understood how walking is affected while simultaneously performing a demanding cognitive task - a form of Cognitive-Motor Interference (CMI). CMI occurs when performance of a primary task (e.g. walking) is affected following the introduction of a cognitive task (e.g. visual search). Research questionWould Visuo Motor Targeting Task (VMTT) impair visual search performance and reduce the margin of stability (MoS) at higher gait speeds? MethodsA protocol was developed to investigate responses of the neuromuscular system while performing a complex visual search task. The Computer Assisted Rehabilitation ENvironment (CAREN, Motekforce Link, Netherlands) system was used for the experimental design. Twenty male participants (Age = 24.2 ± 2.5yrs, Weight = 70.3 ± 10.6 kg, Height = 178.0 ± 9.1 cm) located and pointed towards targets in complex scenes while walking at different gait speeds (0.55, 1.11 and 1.67 m/s.) or while stationary. The cost of visual search during a Visuo Motor Targeting Task (VMTT) was based on the pointing accuracy during the visual search task. ResultsA two-way repeated measure ANOVA showed that MoS in the ML direction significantly improved with increased gait speed and during the visual search task. There was also a significant interaction with MoS improvement being greater during the visual search task at high gait speeds. MoS in the AP was only affected by gait speed. Visual performance and cost of visual search were enhanced during walking versus standing up to 25 %. SignificanceThis study investigated CMI at different gait speeds, which may have implications in postural control, falls and other neurological disorders.

COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF SENSORIMOTOR REACTIONS IN THE TASKS OF VISUAL SEARCH IN STUDENTS OF VARIOUS AGE GROUPS

The formation of perception and voluntary attention functions is the basis for the development of the child's cognitive activity. The implementation features of the voluntary attention processes on the models of simple and complex visual search in groups of subjects with an age range from 8 to 18 years old were studied. Reaction time, errors (goal's omissions, false alarms), time for cognitive processes, correlations and features of attention efficiency in subjects with various academic performances were analyzed. The search time for a single element in a random location of an empty grid decreases with age. Errors such as "false alarm" prevail in younger age groups. The effectiveness of visual search can be one of the criteria for academic performance. Young men and women with low academic performance make significantly more mistakes such as "false alarm" in visual search tasks. The front-parietal attention system is the main one for the implementation of sensorimotor reactions. The maturation of this system can be the basis for increasing the attention effectiveness with age.

Temporal evolution of neurovascular coupling recovery following moderate- and high-intensity exercise.

PurposeStudies examining neurovascular coupling (NVC) require participants to refrain from exercise for 12–24 hours. However, there is a paucity of empirical evidence for this restriction. The objectives for this study were to delineate the time‐course recovery of NVC metrics following exercise and establish the NVC within‐ and between‐day reliability.MethodsNine participants completed a complex visual search paradigm to assess NVC via transcranial Doppler ultrasound of the posterior cerebral artery blood velocity (PCA). Measurements were performed prior to and throughout the 8‐hour recovery period following three randomized conditions: 45 minutes of moderate‐intensity exercise (at 50% heart‐rate reserve), 30 minutes high‐intensity intervals (10, 1‐minute intervals at 85% heart‐rate reserve), and control (30 minutes quiet rest). In each condition, baseline measures were collected at 8:00am with serial follow‐ups at hours zero, one, two, four, six, and eight.ResultsArea‐under‐the‐curve and time‐to‐peak PCA velocity during the visual search were attenuated at hour zero following high‐intensity intervals (all p < 0.05); however, these NVC metrics recovered at hour one (all p > 0.13). Conversely, baseline PCA velocity, peak PCA velocity, and the relative percent increase were not different following high‐intensity intervals compared to baseline (all p > 0.26). No NVC metrics differed from baseline following both moderate exercise and control conditions (all p > 0.24). The majority of the NVC parameters demonstrated high levels of reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: >0.90).ConclusionFuture NVC assessments can take place a minimum of one hour following exercise. Moreover, all metrics did not change across the control condition, therefore future studies using this methodology can reliably quantify NVC between 8:00am and 7:00 pm.

Display size and distractor complexity effects on visual search

The proliferation of higher quality connected sensors is consistently increasing the amount of information available to operators, increasing the complexity of displayed information. Coupling this increase in information with larger, higher addressability displays may lead to increasingly complex visual search paradigms. The current research explored the effect of both display size and distractor symbol complexity on visual search efficiency across three different symbol set sizes. Overall, the results indicate a reduction in search efficiency as a function of both increased display size and distractor complexity, even for the high target densities employed within this study. Further, these variables can interact in target present conditions to influence search times.

Changes in target-distractor similarity space with experience in complex visual search

Changes in target-distractor similarity space with experience in complex visual search

Induction of Shape Selectivity in Macaque Frontal Eye Field Dissociates Perceptual and Motor Processing Stages of Visual Search

Neurons in frontal eye field (FEF) respond to visual stimulation, before eye movements, and both. These responses differentiate whether or not a stimulus is a saccade target. This differentiation, or target selection, is stimulus-locked for many neurons. Importantly, this target selection does not usually depend on the features that define a target as such, because most neurons in FEF do not exhibit intrinsic feature selectivity. However, consistent mapping of a stimulus feature and reward can elicit feature selectivity. Whether this feature selectivity is similarly stimulus-locked or if it is related to the selection of a saccade endpoint is unknown. We developed a search pro-/anti-saccade task in which shape varies among stimuli but does not define the saccade target. One monkey tested in this task developed a strategy that exploits an incidental shape-response association as opposed to the intended rule. We identified visual neurons in FEF that exhibited shape selectivity. The timing of this selectivity followed visual onset but was coincident with saccade target selection. Further, we found that these neurons showed an additional increase in firing rate when a stimulus of the preferred shape was also chosen via saccade. This occurred after feature selection and was coincident with additional temporal measures of saccade endpoint selection. These findings together suggest that feature selectivity, when induced, is tantamount to target selection which is then followed by saccade endpoint selection. In this way, we can exploit feature selectivity in FEF neurons to dissociate the perceptual and motor stages of a complex visual search task.

Factor Analysis of the Texas Functional Living Scale in an Outpatient Clinical Sample.

Prior factor analysis of the Texas Functional Living Scale (TFLS), a performance-based measure of functional abilities, in a military veteran sample supported four factors discrepant from the published subscales. This study analyzed TFLS factor structure in a non-veteran clinical sample. Two hundred seventy adult outpatients completed the TFLS during neuropsychological evaluation. Principal axis factor analysis with oblique promax rotation was conducted with age and education effects partialed out. Parallel analysis indicated five factors for extraction that accounted for a combined 48% of the variance. The first factor independently explained 26% of the total variance. Inspection of factor loadings suggested the following factor interpretations: complex calculations/time, complex visual search, praxis, memory, and basic calculations/math concepts. Five items did not significantly load onto any of the factors. Current results did not entirely correspond to the published subscales or prior results in a veteran sample. Further clarification of the TFLS factor structure is warranted.

Finding Waldo: Two Routes for Processing Visual Search in Complex Scenic Images

This paper reviews the cognitive mechanisms underlying visual search in complex visual images. Visual search is a type of task that we are constantly engaged in our everyday lives. Here, the current paper introduces the current literature that suggests that there are two different processing routes that support visual search in human observers: Bottom-up and Top-down processing. Bottom-up processing allows the visual system to process the sensory information from the visual image as it is, whereas top-down processing guides the visual system to efficiently allocate attention to a part of the image to facilitate the search process. The two processing routes via bottom-up and top-down processing work in concert during complex visual search, guiding our search behavior to be more efficient and adaptive. In closing remark, this review also briefly discusses how the current knowledge about the roles of bottom-up and top-down processing in visual search can contribute to development of computer vision and artificial intelligent.

Superior Visual Search and Crowding Abilities Are Not Characteristic of All Individuals on the Autism Spectrum.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often excel on visual search and crowding tasks; however, inconsistent findings suggest that this 'islet of ability' may not be characteristic of the entire spectrum. We examined whether performance on these tasks changed as a function of motor proficiency in children with varying levels of ASD symptomology. Children with high ASD symptomology outperformed all others on complex visual search tasks, but only if their motor skills were rated at, or above, age expectations. For the visual crowding task, children with high ASD symptomology and superior motor skills exhibited enhanced target discrimination, whereas those with high ASD symptomology but poor motor skills experienced deficits. These findings may resolve some of the discrepancies in the literature.

Hand proximity effects are fragile: a useful null result

Placing one’s hands near an object has been reported to enhance visual processing in a number of ways. We explored whether hand proximity confers an advantage when applied to complex visual search. In one experiment, participants indicated the presence or absence of a target item in a baggage x-ray image by pressing response boxes located at the edge of a tablet computer screen, requiring them to grip the display between their hands. Alternatively, they responded using a mouse held within their lap. Contrary to expectations, hand position did not influence search performance. In a second experiment, participants used their finger to trace along the x-ray image while searching. In addition to any effect of hand proximity it was predicted that this strategy would encourage a more systematic search strategy. Participants inspected bags longer using this strategy, but this did not translate into improved target detection. A third experiment attempted to replicate the near-hands advantage in a change detection paradigm featuring simple stimuli (Tseng and Bridgeman, Experimental Brain Research 209:257–269, 2011), and the same equipment and hand positions as Experiment 1, but was unable to do so. One possibility is that the grip posture associated with holding a tablet is not conducive to producing a near-hands advantage. A final experiment tested this hypothesis with a direct replication of Tseng and Bridgeman, in which participants responded to stimuli presented on a CRT monitor using keys attached to the side of the monitor. Still, no near-hands advantage was observed. Our results suggest that the near-hands advantage may be sensitive to small differences in procedure, a finding that has important implications for harnessing the near-hands advantage to produce better performance in applied contexts.

Cognitive Functioning in Schizophrenia, Methamphetamine-induced Psychotic Disorder, and Healthy People: A Comparative Study.

Background:Methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder (MIP) cannot be easily differentiated from other psychotic disorders. Some studies have reported that patients with MIP and schizophrenia have differences in their cognitive functioning. We hypothesized that their performance would be different on neuropsychological tests which assess executive functions and visual memory.Materials and Methods:In a cross-sectional study, 30 patients with MIP, 31 patients with schizophrenia, and 31 healthy controls were assessed by Rey–Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) test and visual search and attention test (VSAT). One-way analysis of variance was performed to compare the mean scores of tests. Tukey's HSD test was used for post hoc analysis.Results:Three groups had significant differences according to ROCF test (F = 15.76, P < 0.0001), VSAT (F = 39.78, P < 0.0001), left VSAT (F = 37.96, P < 0.0001), right VSAT (F = 40.40, P < 0.0001), and the time of the test administration (F = 3.26, P = 0.04). The post hoc analysis showed that the mean score of ROCF test and VSAT (total, right, and left) was significantly higher in the control group than in the other two groups. The time of administering the test in the control group was significantly shorter than in the MIP group (P < 0.03) and nonsignificantly shorter than in the schizophrenia group (P = 0.54). The mean score of right side VSAT was significantly higher in the MIP group than in the schizophrenia group.Conclusion:ROCF could not differentiate MIP from schizophrenia. The better performance of patients with MIP on right side VSAT that is reported in this and in the previous study needs to be reevaluated in more controlled studies.

Current Understanding of Dyslexia and Pilot Data on Efficacy of a Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy (MBR-RAM) Model

Background: Dyslexia, a heterogeneous syndrome, is the most recognized Developmental Reading Disorder (DRD) with 5-17% prevalence and poses as a significant disability. Its core deficits are: Phonological deficits, poor visual attention span, selective deficits in complex serial visual search tasks, sustained visual attention problems, visuospatial functioning and difficult image reproduction from memory. Much remains to be accomplished clinically to address these deficits. Methods: Mindfulness Based Rehabilitation of Reading, Attention & Memory (MBR-RAM©) is a translational mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy developed by the first author. MBR-RAM uses focused attention enhancement visual meditation techniques (Sanskrit: trataka) in therapist-assisted and home-practice formats to rehabilitate reading deficits, visual inattention, visual motor incoordination, information processing speed and visual memory. Visual motor incoordination indicates inability to control hand movements guided by the visual cues while reading letters. Three Caucasian subjects in this study included an 8-year-old girl and two boys aged 9 and 10 years. The objectives were to study the changes pre- and post-intervention with respect to their scores on the various clinical and neuropsychological measures. Results: Compared to the baseline, all three subjects showed clinical and statistically significant improvements in the outcome measures, which were sustained for at least 6 months after study completion. There were no adverse effects in them. Conclusion: Results of this pilot study indicate that MBR-RAM© is a feasible, low cost treatment, which is effective for rehabilitating some important deficits of dyslexia. The results need replication in future studies with better methodology to make definite conclusions. Keywords: Dyslexia, learning disorder, reading disorder, yoga, mindfulness, trataka.