The Influence of Set Size in a Dynamic Decision-Making Task

Abstract: In visual search, increasing the number of elements makes target identification more difficult. Identifying a target becomes even more complex in real world scenarios where operators might need to accumulate evidence across movement patterns – a form of dynamic decision making. In a simple simulation, participants moved their ownship around a water space, while observing movements of three, six, or nine vessels around them, one of which exhibited a hostile behavior. Results indicated that accuracy above chance of hostile ship detection did not differ across set sizes, however participants took more steps as the number of ships increased. Participants generally aggregated far less than the optimal amount of evidence, reflected in the overall average accuracy of 53%. This hints at overwhelming challenges to working memory in these types of dynamic decision-making situations. Implications for real-world scenarios and possible automated aids are discussed.

Keywords: Dynamic Decision Making, Visual Search, Multiple Object Tracking, Human Performance

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1004877

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