The Relation Between Field Dependency, Visual Search and Structure of Displays

The relation between field dependency and visual search was investigated on displays which differed in terms of the organization of the background elements or structure. Statistically determined displays which differed in the transition probability (p1,) of the elements from the state ‘ element present’ to ‘ element absent’ were used. A significant correlation between field dependency was found on displays of P, = 0-25 where the elements were clumped, but not on either a regular (P1 = 1) or a random (P1 = 0-5) display. A subsidiary finding was a significant effect of transition probability on search times. The practical implications of these results are discussed.