366: Optimal eye movement strategies in visual search

Optimal eye movement strategies in visual search:

We find that humans achieve nearly optimal search performance, even though humans integrate information poorly across fixations. Analysis of the ideal searcher reveals that there is little benefit from perfect integration across fixations—much more important is efficient processing of information on each fixation. Apparently, evolution has exploited this fact to achieve efficient eye movement strategies with minimal neural resources devoted to memory.

Theoretical evolutionary models of efficient eye movement generate testable predictions.