The influence of retention of target-template-related verbal information on the verification process in visual search

Abstract

In real-life visual search tasks, individuals often utilize verbal information; however, its role remains underexplored. We hypothesized that the memorization of verbal information semantically related to the search target would contribute to maintaining the target template, thereby enhancing search efficiency. The study involved 56 participants (53 female), aged 18 to 28 years (M = 19.454, SD = 1.814). A laboratory experiment was conducted, employing eye-tracking using the Eyelink Portable Duo (1000 Hz). Participants were tasked with memorizing word triplets that were either semantically related or unrelated to the target template. They were then required to locate a target image among distractors under varying screen object conditions (4/6/8 objects). Our findings suggest that the presence or absence of a semantic link between the verbal load in activated long-term memory and the target template does not influence search efficiency—neither during the guidance process nor during target verification. The results are discussed in the context of insufficient activation of perceptual features of objects corresponding to the names of target categories and interference mechanisms in activated long-term memory.