Data from: The effect of mood state on visual search times for detecting a target in noise: an application of smartphone technology

The study of visual perception has largely been completed without regard to the influence that an individual’s emotional status may have on their performance in visual tasks. However, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that mood may affect not only creative abilities and interpersonal skills but also the capacity to perform low-level cognitive tasks. Here, we sought to determine whether rudimentary visual search processes are similarly affected by emotion. Specifically, we examined whether an individual’s perceived happiness level affects their ability to detect a target in noise. To do so, we employed pop-out and serial visual search paradigms, implemented using a novel smartphone application that allowed search times and self-rated levels of happiness to be recorded throughout each twenty-four-hour period for two weeks. This experience sampling protocol circumvented the need to alter mood artificially with laboratory-based induction methods. Using our smartphone application, we were able to replicate the classic visual search findings, whereby pop-out search times remained largely unaffected by the number of distractors whereas serial search times increased with increasing number of distractors. While pop-out search times were unaffected by happiness level, serial search times with the maximum numbers of distractors (n = 30) were significantly faster for high happiness levels than low happiness levels (p = 0.02). Our results demonstrate the utility of smartphone applications in assessing ecologically valid measures of human visual performance. We discuss the significance of our findings for the assessment of basic visual functions using search time measures, and for our ability to search effectively for targets in real world settings.既往视觉感知领域的研究，大多未纳入个体情绪状态对视觉任务表现的影响这一维度。不过，日益增多的实证研究表明，情绪不仅会影响创造力与人际交往能力，还会影响低级认知任务的执行能力。本研究旨在探究基础视觉搜索过程是否同样会受情绪影响。具体而言，我们考察了个体自我感知的快乐水平是否会影响其在噪声干扰下检测目标的能力。为此，我们采用了凸显搜索（pop-out）与序列视觉搜索两种实验范式，并通过一款全新的智能手机应用程序予以实现。该应用可在为期两周的每日24小时内，记录搜索时长与自我评定的快乐水平。此种经验抽样范式，规避了使用实验室情绪诱导方法人为改变被试情绪的需求。借助该智能手机应用，我们成功复现了经典视觉搜索研究结果：凸显搜索的时长基本不受分心物数量的影响，而序列搜索的时长则随分心物数量的增加而延长。尽管凸显搜索时长不受快乐水平的影响，但当分心物数量达到最大值（n=30）时，高快乐水平组的序列搜索时长显著短于低快乐水平组（p=0.02）。本研究结果证实了智能手机应用在评估具有生态效度的人类视觉表现指标方面的实用性。我们还讨论了本研究结果的意义：一方面可用于通过搜索时长指标评估基础视觉功能，另一方面也有助于理解个体在真实场景中高效搜索目标的能力。