Visual search paradigms

Visual search paradigms are methods used to study how people locate specific items within a cluttered environment. Participants are asked to find a target object among distractors—other items that are similar or different. Researchers measure how long it takes and how accurately people find the target, revealing insights about attention, perception, and decision-making processes. These paradigms help us understand how the brain filters and prioritizes visual information, which can inform fields like psychology, user interface design, and visual ergonomics.