Selected Publications

I have published more than 30 peer-reviewed publications (see my Google Scholar Profile for a full listing), 3 book chapters, 15 first-author conference talks, and over 20 first-author conference posters. I have served as an ad hoc reviewer for over 30 academic journals and 5 government agencies.

Discovered that humans detect rolling objects more easily than spinning objects.
Schill, H. M., Cain, M. S., Josephs, E. L., & Wolfe, J. M. (2020). Axis-of-Rotation as a basic feature in visual search. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 82, 31–43.

Benchmarked a new method for quickly estimating the efficacy of camouflage patterns: Subliminal exposure to a pattern made it easier to find; more conspicuous camouflage needed less priming.
Brunye, T. T., Eddy, M. D., Cain, M. S., Hepfinger, L. B., & Rock, K. (2017). Masked priming for the comparative evaluation of camouflage conspicuity. Applied Ergonomics, 62, 259–267.

Discovered how human observers estimate the centers and trajectories of schematic robot swarms: Ensemble center of mass is neither quickly nor accurately estimated.
Cain, M. S., & Wendell, D. M. (2019). Human perception and prediction of robot swarm motion. Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications XI, 10982, 1098226.

Correlated home media consumption habits with state standardized test scores: More media multitasking associated with worse english and math exam scores.
Cain, M. S., Leonard, J. A., Gabrieli, J. D. E., & Finn, A. S. (2016). Media multitasking in adolescence. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 23(6), 1932–1941.

Demonstrated the efficacy of an element of TSA standard operating procedure in the lab: Finding one item, removing it from a bag, then scanning the bag again is optimal.
Cain, M. S., Biggs, A. T., Darling, E. F., & Mitroff, S. R. (2014). A little bit of history repeating: Splitting up multiple-target visual searches decreases second-target miss errors. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

Quantified attentional differences due to video game expertise: Experienced gamers could better ignore irrelevant visual distractions.
Cain, M. S., Prinzmetal, W., Shimamura, A. P., & Landau, A. N., (2014). Improved control of exogenous attention in action video game players. Frontiers in Cognition. 5:69.

Identified a source of error in multiple-target visual search: Searchers remember the targets they find, even when it is not necessary to do so, hindering search for a second target.
Cain, M. S., & Mitroff, S. R. (2013). Memory for found targets interferes with subsequent performance in multiple-target visual search. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 39(5), 1398–1408.

Characterized differences between professional and non-professional visual searchers: Professionals are slower, more consistent, and more accurate at finding hidden targets.
Biggs, A. T., Cain, M. S., Clark, K., Darling, E. F., & Mitroff, S. R. (2013). Assessing visual search performance differences between Transportation Security Administration Officers and nonprofessional visual searchers. Visual Cognition, 21(3), 330–352.

Modeled human visual search behavior as resource foraging: Humans searching for unevenly distributed targets are sensitive to the statistical distribution of the environment.
Cain, M. S., Vul, E., Clark, K., & Mitroff, S. R. (2012). A Bayesian optimal foraging model of human visual search. Psychological Science, 23(9), 1047–1054.

Revealed complexities in the interaction between anxiety and visual search: Anticipating a negative event makes it harder to find a second hidden target, but has no effect on first target detection.
Cain, M. S., Dunsmoor, J. E., LaBar, K. S., & Mitroff, S. R. (2011). Anticipatory anxiety hinders detection of a second target in dual-target search. Psychological Science, 22(7), 866–871.