title: Detecting transient changes in dynamic displays: the more you look, the less you see.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Two experiments examined the detectability of transient changes in cluttered and dynamic displays and optimal scan strategies for performance.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Research has demonstrated that onset changes are prioritized by the attention system and onsets are often used to signal important display changes. However, research has mostly used uncluttered, static displays and has largely ignored the role of scan strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We had participants monitor a cluttered and dynamic display and respond when an object changed color or onset abruptly. Scan strategies were also evaluated. In another experiment participants were instructed to use particular strategies to detect changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consistent with previous results, onset events were detected better than were color change events. Scan strategy accounted for a large proportion of variance in detection performance. Participants who made few eye movements performed best. Participants who actively scanned the display performed worst. When poor performers were instructed to make few eye movements, their performance matched that of the best performers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Onset alerts can be an effective means of signaling important events in complex displays. Additionally, scan strategy plays an important role in the detection of transient events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results have important implications for training operators to search for transient changes within dynamic and cluttered displays.
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 61801, USA. wboot@cyrus.psych.uiuc.edu
authors.forename: Walter R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Boot
authors.forename: Arthur F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: Ensar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Becic
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wiegmann
authors.forename: Tate
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kubose
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003118:Color Perception; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time; D012106:Research; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D014796:Visual Perception