When searching for a vertical blue bar among a set of horizontal yellow bars, we would expect to find a display size function in which:

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Question restatement: When searching for a vertical blue bar among a set of horizontal yellow bars, we would expect to find a display size function in which:

Option 1: Mean RT is roughly constant for displays of different size and is the same for target-present and target-absent displays.
- This aligns with classic feature-search findings in visual search literature: when the target differs from distractors by a single, salient feature (a vertical blue bar among horizontal yellow bars), the search is parallel and scales little with display size. Reaction times remain largely unaffected by more items, and there is no difference between target-present and target-absent trials.

Option 2: Mean RT is a linear function of display size with the slope for target-absent displays around twice that for target-present displays.
- This pattern implies that larger displays slow down search more when the target is absent, which is characteristic of some inefficient or serial search scenarios, not a fluent feature search like the one described. It contradicts the expected flat function for a pop-out feature.

Option 3: Mean RT is a linear function of display size with the slope for target-present displays around twice that for target-absent displays.
- This would suggest the opposite dynamic of option 2 and still indicates a systematic, size-dependent slowdown, which is inconsistent with a fast, preattentive feature search where the target should pop out regardless of display size.

Option 4: Mean RT is a linear function of display size with the same slopes for target-absent and target-present displays.
- While this describes a linear relationship with display size, it claims equal slopes for both trial types. In a typical efficient feature search, both target-present and target-absent RTs would be flat (zero slope) rather than linearly increasing, and there would be no need to assign a slope to each condition.

Why Option 1 is correct in this context:
- The described task (finding a vertical blue bar among horizontal yellow bars) involves a single, salient feature (color and orientation) that makes the target “pop out.” In feature-search paradigms, reaction time does not scale with the number of items, producing a roughly constant mean RT across display sizes for both target-present and target-absent trials. This difference in RT with display size is minimal, supporting a display size function that is flat for both conditions.

Why the other choices are incorrect in this scenario:
- Options 2 and 3 posit a linear RT with display size and asymmetric slopes between target-present and target-absent conditions, implying a serial or inefficient search strategy. That does not fit a feature search where the target should be salient enough to pop out regardless of display size.
- Option 4 suggests a linear RT with the same slope for both conditions. Even if a linear relationship existed, a feature search typically yields near-zero slopes (no display-size effect) rather than a uniform nonzero slope, making this option inconsistent with the expected flat function.

In summary, the best match to the described visual search scenario is that mean RT remains roughly constant as display size changes, with no difference between target-present and target-absent trials, which corresponds to Option 1.

PSYC20007_2025_SM2 Supplementary or Special Exam: Cognitive Psychology (PSYC20007_2025_SM2)- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

When searching for a vertical blue bar among a set of horizontal yellow bars, we would expect to find a display size function in which:

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