title: Dual-target cost in visual search for multiple unfamiliar faces.
abstract: The efficiency of visual search for one (single-target) and either of two (dual-target) unfamiliar faces was explored to understand the manifestations of capacity and guidance limitations in face search. The visual similarity of distractor faces to target faces was manipulated using morphing (Experiments 1 and 2) and multidimensional scaling (Experiment 3). A dual-target cost was found in all experiments, evidenced by slower and less accurate search in dual- than single-target conditions. The dual-target cost was unequal across the targets, with performance being maintained on one target and reduced on the other, which we label "preferred" and "non-preferred" respectively. We calculated the capacity for each target face and show reduced capacity for representing the non-preferred target face. However, results show that the capacity for the non-preferred target can be increased when the dual-target condition is conducted after participants complete the single-target conditions. Analyses of eye movements revealed evidence for weak guidance of fixations in single-target search, and when searching for the preferred target in dual-target search. Overall, the experiments show dual-target search for faces is capacity- and guidance-limited, leading to superior search for 1 face over the other in dual-target search. However, learning faces individually may improve capacity with the second face. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mestry
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Tamaryn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Menneer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Kyle R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Cave
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Hayward J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Godwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Donnelly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult