Self-Generated Expectations of Hazard Prevalence Affect Virtual Search and Rescue
研究在虚拟火灾救援场景中，参与者对危险发生率的先前预期如何影响高风险视觉搜索，发现训练形成的预期会覆盖明确指令，导致持续搜索错误。
Objective To understand how prior expectations and instructions about hazard prevalence affect high-stakes visual search in a semi-immersive virtual environment, where participants take on the role of firefighters in search and rescue missions. Background Information about target prevalence influences visual search in standard laboratory studies. However, little is known about how prior expectations and new information about target prevalence interact in simulated emergency scenarios. Methods Participants ( n = 48) received training where the average number of hazards (explosive cylinders) amongst similar distractors was varied (two or six) before participants rescued a trapped person. Trial-end feedback indicated whether all targets were removed and the person rescued. They were then instructed that hazard prevalence would increase, decrease, or stay similar during test blocks. Stress was manipulated by an ongoing alarm, the threat of trial-ending explosions, and reduced movement speed. Search performance was measured by the number and type of stimuli removed and stress was assessed using self-report and physiological measures. Results Across high and low stress conditions, more hazards were removed and more false positives occurred (i.e., more distractors removed) when test prevalence was lower than during training, compared to when prevalence levels remained similar. False negative errors were consistently low across conditions. Conclusion Acquired hazard expectations can override explicit instructions, leading to persistent search errors, likely due to difficulties in adjusting decision criteria. Application These results suggest that training in high-stakes hazard search should incorporate the use of tools and techniques to help mitigate the persistent influence of outdated expectations on search performance.