Target Times data from Experiment 1b in the manuscript "The Importance of Search Strategy for Finding Targets in Open Terrain"

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, though only when participants moved along the length (as opposed to across the width) of the search area. Experiment 1b ,varied the number of targets available within the bounded search area and in doing so varied target prevalence and density.

The results confirmed that the route taken in Experiment 1a generalizes across variations in target prevalence/density. 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.