Searching for the Cat: Effects of variable spatial associations on search in scenes

Some objects have a specific place where you can expect them to be found (e.g., toothbrush), while others vary wildly in the places that they can appear (e.g., cat). While previous studies have pointed to the importance of the spatial associations in search in scenes, in the current study we investigated the effects of the variability of expected spatial locations of target objects on search performance. On each trial, participants’ eye movements were tracked while they searched for either a Fixed Target, which was associated with a specific scene surface (e.g., boots) or a Variable Target, which was not associated with a specific region (cat). Results showed not only a slower search performance for variable than fixed targets, but also a longer latency and many more fixations to locate Variable than Fixed targets. We also explored the effect of placement within the scene and found that the effects differed depending on the surface location. Findings demonstrates that the variability of targets’ spatial associations affected search efficiency as well as provided new insights into how search strategies are implemented in the face of uncertainty