Abstract
In visual foraging tasks, participants are asked to search for and collect multiple targets. Two recent developments in visual foraging research were the use of tablet-computers in laboratory studies as well as browser-based online tools that enable remote data collection. One advantage of remote data collection is that more specific demands regarding sample characteristics can be realized, such as age or nationality. To connect these developments and to facilitate reaching an even wider variety of participants, we developed a foraging study for smartphones. Participants from Western Europe (German sample) and East Asia (Chinese sample) were asked to collect virtual berries hidden behind the leaves of bushes. Bushes contained either more high- or low-value berries, and tapping the leaves uncovered the berries, which then could be collected by tapping them. Furthermore, different parts of the context (arrangement of the leaves or background elements) were repeated in some trials, leading to eight different context conditions. Context information was expected to improve foraging behavior. Based on different cultural learning experiences in attentional orienting, East Asians were expected to profit stronger from context repetitions in the background than Western European participants. Results showed shorter inter-target times for both nationalities in patches of higher value. A higher rate of return was observed for Chinese compared to German participants. No context effects were found. The study highlights the importance of target value in foraging. Interestingly, because the targets were not visible until uncovered, attentional guidance could not be based on the target features, suggesting that motivational mechanisms drove differences in search performance. Cultural background played a role in how foraging efficiency developed over the course of the experiment. The expected but absent context effects indicate that contextual guidance might require stronger manipulations to manifest in foraging data.