Visual pattern and search behavior

A complete visual search consists of both cognitive and physical activities. Physical activity includes eye movement and fixations. Cognitive activity includes perception and information processing. The physical search behavior is the result of cognitive activities. Previous studies of visual inspection mainly focused on analysis of final search performance rather than the mental process. This study intended to thoroughly analyze search behavior and explain how a search strategy is generated. The goal of this study was to evaluate this model of pattern-driven search and to study what the prerequisites are. A visual inspection task was designed, according to Gestalt\u27s laws, to search on the simulated circuit boards in this study. Eighteen subjects, nine females and nine males, participated in this test. The results of this study have verified the existence of Pattern-driven search behavior. However, the results also indicate that there are certain prerequisites for such pattern-driven search. The main findings and conclusions of this study are summarized below: (1) Pattern-driven search is applied if the whole search target can be perceived. (2) Pattern-driven search strategy is applied when self-termination search, rather than exhaustive search, is the goal. (3) Subjects strive for the accuracy of defect detection during pattern-driven search, whereas during random visual inspection subjects usually strive to improve speed. (4) Training and practice are helpful in developing pattern-driven search behavior. (5) The pattern-driven search model can be used to improve visual interface design. This study is the first step in verifying the validity of pattern-driven search. More thorough cognitive studies are recommended to develop the complete model of pattern-driven visual search