Time on Task Effects During Interactive Visual Search

There is a major shift taking place in airports across the globe, changing from 2D dual-view X-ray screening to 3D computed tomography (CT) screening. 3D CT screening is believed to improve target detection since it enables screeners to interact with images of passenger baggage (i.e., rotating and zooming into the displays). The change in screening technology is moving what was once a purely visual search task to an interactive search task. Here, we conducted two experiments with a large sample size during February of 2023 (695 participants) to examine (a) changes in search performance between a simulated dual-view and simulated interactive search task and (b) the effects of time on task upon performance. Consistent with past research, we found that interactive search, when compared with dual-view search, produced higher response accuracy rates coupled with increased reaction times (RTs). However, while we found effects of time on task (RTs reduced, and participants became more likely to respond “absent” as the experiments progressed), there was no evidence that these effects differed across simulated dual-view and simulated interactive searches. The results are discussed in relation to benefits of interactive search for supporting target detection by airport screeners.