Behavioral data from Experiment 2 in the manuscript "The Importance of Search Strategy for Finding Targets in Open Terrain".

Behavioral data from Experiment 2 in the manuscript "The Importance of Search Strategy for Finding Targets in Open Terrain".<br>Abstract:<br>Some real world search tasks (i.e., IED detection) require searchers to search exhaustively across open ground. In the present study we simulated this problem by asking individuals (Experiment 1) and dyads (Experiment 2) to search for coin targets pseudo-randomly located in a bounded area of open grassland terrain. In Experiment 1, accuracy, search time and the route for searching were measured. Participants tended to use an ‘S’ shaped pattern with a common width of search lane. Increased accuracy was associated with slower, but also variable search speed. In Experiment 2, accuracy, search time, and the search strategy used by dyads was measured. While dyads were more accurate than individuals, dyads that opted to conduct two independent searches were more accurate than those who opted to split the search space. The implications of these results for individuals and pairs when searching for targets in open space are discussed.