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

• A. The conjunction search task demonstrates that all visual searches are equally fast regardless of the number of items.
• B. Searching for a target defined by a conjunction of features requires more time and is affected by the number of distractors.
• C. Conjunction search tasks show that attention is not necessary for feature integration.
• D. Searching for a target defined by a single feature is slower than searching for a conjunction of features.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the nature of the conjunction search task: it involves searching for a target that is defined by a combination (conjunction) of two or more features, such as color and shape.
2. Recall the key finding from cognitive psychology research that distinguishes conjunction search from feature search: conjunction searches typically require more time and effort because the target shares features with distractors.
3. Recognize that the time taken to find the target in a conjunction search increases as the number of distractors increases, indicating a serial search process rather than a parallel one.
4. Contrast this with feature search tasks, where the target differs from distractors by a single feature and can be found quickly regardless of the number of distractors, suggesting parallel processing.
5. Conclude that the primary finding is that searching for a target defined by a conjunction of features requires more time and is influenced by the number of distractors, highlighting the role of focused attention in feature integration.