In cognitive psychology, what is the primary finding from the feature search task?

• A. Reaction time increases linearly as the number of distractors increases.
• B. Participants are unable to find the target among distractors.
• C. Feature search tasks require conscious, effortful processing.
• D. Reaction time remains relatively constant regardless of the number of distractors.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the feature search task: It involves identifying a target stimulus that differs from distractors by a single feature, such as color or shape.
2. Recall the key finding in cognitive psychology regarding feature search: Reaction time to find the target does not significantly change as the number of distractors increases.
3. Contrast this with conjunction search tasks, where reaction time increases with more distractors because the target shares features with distractors and requires more effortful processing.
4. Recognize that the constancy of reaction time in feature search suggests that the target 'pops out' automatically, indicating parallel processing rather than serial scanning.
5. Summarize that the primary finding is that reaction time remains relatively constant regardless of the number of distractors in feature search tasks.