PARTITIONING VISUAL DISPLAYS: DIRECTING THEPATH OF VISUAL SEARCH

摘要

We reduced time to detect target symbols in mock radar screens bypartitioning displays in accordance with task instructions. Targetsappeared among distractor symbols either close to or far from the displaycenter, and participants were instructed to find the target closest to thecenter. Search time increased with both number of distractors anddistance of target fiom center, and the effect of distractors wasconsiderably greater for far than close targets. However, when close andfar regions were delineated by a centrally-presented 'range ring', thedistractor effect was substantially reduced, especially for far targets. Wesuggest that range rings focus attention on specific regions of the screenand aid in the determining of which regions have already been searched.