The main difference between Treisman’s Feature Integration Theory (FIT) and Wolfe’s Guided Search Theory is that:

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The question asks about the main difference between Treisman’s Feature Integration Theory (FIT) and Wolfe’s Guided Search Theory.
Option 1: 'FIT predicts serial, self-terminating search of all display items when targets are confusable with distractors; guided search predicts serial, self-terminating search of a candidate subset of target-like items.' This captures the core distinction: FIT posits attention as a focused, serial process that would examine items one by one, especially when there is confusion between targets and distractors, whereas Guided Search posits that search operates on a prioritized subset of items that resemble the target, guiding attention to a subset rather than scanning every item blindly. This aligns with the recognized differences between the theories.
Option 2: 'FIT predicts that feature targets will pop out; guided search predicts that true pop-out never occurs and that the search function will always be curvilinear.' The notion that FIT predicts pop-out for feature targets is accurate in some summaries, but saying Guided Search never yields pop-out and that the search function is always curvilinear is incorrect; Guided Search can account for efficient searches and can produce flat or varying slopes depending on conditions, not a universal curvilinear rule.
Option 3: 'FIT predicts curvilinear display functions whose slopes depend on the similarity of targets and distractors; guided search predicts either flat functions or linear functions, depending on the similarity of targets and distractors.' This description of display-function shapes and their dependence on similarity does not accurately reflect the canonical claims of FIT or Guided Search. Theories are not typically framed in terms of universal curvilinear versus flat/linear display-function slopes in this way.
Option 4: 'FIT predicts that search for a conjunction target will be slow and serial; guided search predicts that search will be slow and serial when the distractors are all similar to one another.' While FIT does predict serial processing for conjunction targets, and Guided Search can produce seriation under certain conditions, this option narrows the distinction to a specific case and misstates the broader predictions, which is not the fundamental difference between the theories.
In summary, the most accurate portrayal of the primary distinction is that FIT describes a serial, item-by-item search when targets are confusable, whereas Guided Search posits a guided, prioritized subset of items (target-like items) as the focus of attention, leading to more efficient search. Therefore, Option 1 correctly captures the main difference, while the other options introduce inaccuracies or mischaracterizations about the theories' predictions and how search dynamics are described.

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The main difference between Treisman’s Feature Integration Theory (FIT) and Wolfe’s Guided Search Theory is that:

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