A little bit of history repeating: Splitting up multiple-target visual searches decreases second-target miss errors

Visual searches with several targets in a display have been shown to be particularly prone to miss errors in both academic laboratory searches and professional searches such as radiology and baggage screening. Specifically, finding 1 target in a display can reduce the likelihood of detecting additional targets. This phenomenon was originally referred to as "satisfaction of search," but is referred to here as "subsequent search misses" (SSMs). SSM errors have been linked to a variety of causes, and recent evidence supports a working memory deficit wherein finding a target consumes working memory resources that would otherwise aid subsequent search for additional targets (Cain & Mitroff, 2013). The current study demonstrated that dividing 1 multiple-target search into several single-target searches, separated by three to five unrelated trials, effectively freed the working memory resources used by the found target and eliminated SSM errors. This effect was demonstrated with both university community participants and with professional visual searchers from the Transportation Security Administration, suggesting it may be a generally applicable technique for improving multiple-target visual search accuracy.