Measurement of the speed accuracy operating characteristic for visual search

Making allocation of function decisions in automated inspection systems requires data on the speed accuracy operating characteristic (SAOC) of the human. As the major resource-limited task in inspection is visual search, the SAOC of search tasks is required. A comparison of measurements of the SAOC by the search to completion method and the fixed-time method using twelve practised subjects in a computer-generated search task showed only one significant difference in fifteen comparisons. If the search to completion methodology is used, considerable savings in sample preparation time and subject time are possible.