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Search is easier when the target can be discriminated by a single feature compared to distractors?

1) True
2) False

User MrKelley
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1 Answer

1 vote

Final answer:

Search tasks are easier when the target stands out by a single feature from distractors, enhancing classification and detection; this principle is supported by sensory discrimination and signal detection theory.

Step-by-step explanation:

The answer to the question is True. Search tasks are indeed easier when the target can be differentiated by a single feature from the distractors. This concept is related to the ease with which an entity can be classified or detected based on distinctive characteristics. In scenarios where there is a clear-cut difference, such as an organism's length or an object's weight, the presence of distinguishing features or 'gaps' aids in classification. These differences also make it easier to detect a stimulus via sensory discrimination, such as the two-point discrimination in skin sensitivity tests. For example, detecting a weight difference between 1 and 2 units is more straightforward than between 20 and 21 units because of the relative variation. Similarly, signal detection theory explains how motivation and the ability to discriminate between a true stimulus and background noise can affect perception, such as an air traffic controller distinguishing plane blips against radar background noise.

User Jigar Bhatt
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