To view our full range of books and order online visit: Broad in scope, this book thoroughly exam... more To view our full range of books and order online visit: Broad in scope, this book thoroughly examines the intersection of auditory processing and mental workload requirements, highlighting the information processing demands of auditory signals. The author provides background information before going on to explore methodologies and design issues. He provides extensive coverage of audition in human factors, cognitive aspects of auditory processing related to attention, working memory, speech and decision making, auditory processing changes associated with aging, and the impact of advanced auditory displays. The text draws together work from a vast array of disparate fields to create an interdisciplinary resource on auditory perception.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
Despite extensive examination of display parameters affecting written and nonverbal warnings, few... more Despite extensive examination of display parameters affecting written and nonverbal warnings, few investigators have examined presentation parameters affecting auditorially presented verbal warnings. This investigation is the first systematic examination of display parameters affecting verbal warnings that required listeners to be engaged in a contextually appropriate simultaneous task. Participants responded to verbal collision avoidance system (CAS) messages while engaged in a simultaneous simulated driving task. Perceived urgency, alerting effectiveness and annoyance ratings and behavioral reaction times were examined as a function of the signal word, CAS message, and presentation level (PL). Consistent with predictions from previous research involving written warnings, differences in the perceived urgency were observed as a function of the signal word used. PL also significantly impacted perceived urgency and alerting effectiveness. CAS messages presented at a S/N ratio of at le...
Three investigations that demonstrate the importance of considering individual differences when d... more Three investigations that demonstrate the importance of considering individual differences when designing in-vehicle navigation systems are described. Drivers were categorised in terms of their spatial awareness and wayfinding strategies, based on brief self-report questionnaires. Experiment 1 revealed individual differences in route learning performance as a function of these categories and display modality (visual, auditory or both). Experiment 2 demonstrated that individuals within these categories use different route learning strategies that place differential demands on verbal vs. visuospatial working memory. Experiment 3 examined the navigational strategies and capabilities of older drivers and offers evidence-based design suggestions. These findings show that individual driver characteristics must be considered in order to reduce the attentional cost of extracting information from in-vehicle navigation systems. Effective displays are not a one size fits all configuration.
Matching the perceived urgency of an alert with the relative hazard level of the situation is cri... more Matching the perceived urgency of an alert with the relative hazard level of the situation is critical for effective alarm response. Two experiments describe the impact of acoustic and semantic parameters on ratings of perceived urgency, annoyance and alerting effectiveness and on alarm response speed. Within a simulated driving context, participants rated and responded to collision avoidance system (CAS) messages spoken by a female or male voice (experiments 1 and 2, respectively). Results indicated greater perceived urgency and faster alarm response times as intensity increased from −2 dB signal to noise (S/N) ratio to +10 dB S/N, although annoyance ratings increased as well. CAS semantic content interacted with alarm intensity, indicating that at lower intensity levels participants paid more attention to the semantic content. Results indicate that both acoustic and semantic parameters independently and interactively impact CAS alert perceptions in divided attention conditions and this work can inform auditory alarm design for effective hazard matching. Matching the perceived urgency of an alert with the relative hazard level of the situation is critical for effective alarm response. Here, both acoustic and semantic parameters independently and interactively impacted CAS alert perceptions in divided attention conditions. This work can inform auditory alarm design for effective hazard matching. Statement of Relevance: Results indicate that both acoustic parameters and semantic content can be used to design collision warnings with a range of urgency levels. Further, these results indicate that verbal warnings tailored to a specific hazard situation may improve hazard-matching capabilities without substantial trade-offs in perceived annoyance.
Recent work has identified an event-related potential (ERP) component, the incongruency negativit... more Recent work has identified an event-related potential (ERP) component, the incongruency negativity (N inc ), which is sensitive to auditory Stroop conflict processing. Here, we investigated how this index of conflict processing is influenced by individual differences in cognitive style. There is evidence that individuals differ in the strategy they use to navigate through the environment; some use a predominantly verbal-egocentric strategy while others rely more heavily on a spatial-allocentric strategy. In addition, navigational strategy, assessed by a way-finding questionnaire, is predictive of performance on an auditory spatial Stroop task, in which either the semantic or spatial dimension of stimuli must be ignored. To explore the influence of individual differences in navigational style on conflict processing, participants took part in an auditory spatial Stroop task while the electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Whereas behavioral performance only showed a main effect of congruency, we observed the predicted three-way interaction between congruency, task type and navigational style with respect to our physiological measure of Stroop conflict. Specifically, congruency-dependent modulation of the N inc was observed only when participants performed their non-dominant task (e.g., verbal navigators attempting to ignore semantic information). These results confirm that the N inc reliably indexes auditory Stroop conflict and extend previous results by demonstrating that the N inc is predictably modulated by individual differences in cognitive style.
This symposium describes collaborative research on neuroergonomics, technology, and cognition bei... more This symposium describes collaborative research on neuroergonomics, technology, and cognition being conducted at George Mason University and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as part of the Center of Excellence in Neuroergonomics, Technology, and Cognition (CENTEC). Six presentations describe the latest developments in neuroergonomics research conducted by CENTEC scientists. The individual papers cover studies of: (1) adaptive learning systems; (2) neurobehavioral synchronicity during team performance; (3) genetics and individual differences in decision making; (4) vigilance and mindlessness; (5) interruptions and multi-tasking; and (6) development of a simulation capability that integrates measures across these domains and levels of analysis.
Through a series of investigations involving different levels of contextual fidelity we developed... more Through a series of investigations involving different levels of contextual fidelity we developed scales of perceived urgency for several dimensions of the auditory, visual, and tactile modalities. Psychophysical ratings of perceived urgency, annoyance, and acceptability as well as behavioral responses to signals in each modality were obtained and analyzed using Steven's Power Law to allow comparison across modalities. Obtained results and their implications for use as in-vehicle alerts and warnings are discussed.
Adaptive training using neurophysiological measures requires efficient classification of mental w... more Adaptive training using neurophysiological measures requires efficient classification of mental workload in real time as a learner encounters new and increasingly difficult levels of tasks. Previous investigations have shown that artificial neural networks (ANNs) can accurately classify workload, but only when trained on neurophysiological exemplars from experienced operators on specific tasks. The present study examined classification accuracies for ANNs trained on electroencephalographic (EEG) activity recorded while participants performed the same (within task) and different (cross) tasks for short periods of time with little or no prior exposure to the tasks. Participants performed three working memory tasks at two difficulty levels with order of task and difficulty level counterbalanced. Within-task classification accuracies were high when ANNs were trained on exemplars from the same task or a set containing the to-be-classified task, (M = 87.1% and 85.3%, respectively). Cross-task classification accuracies were significantly lower (average 44.8%) indicating consistent systematic misclassification for certain tasks in some individuals. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for developing neurophysiologically driven adaptive training platforms.
To view our full range of books and order online visit: Broad in scope, this book thoroughly exam... more To view our full range of books and order online visit: Broad in scope, this book thoroughly examines the intersection of auditory processing and mental workload requirements, highlighting the information processing demands of auditory signals. The author provides background information before going on to explore methodologies and design issues. He provides extensive coverage of audition in human factors, cognitive aspects of auditory processing related to attention, working memory, speech and decision making, auditory processing changes associated with aging, and the impact of advanced auditory displays. The text draws together work from a vast array of disparate fields to create an interdisciplinary resource on auditory perception.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
Despite extensive examination of display parameters affecting written and nonverbal warnings, few... more Despite extensive examination of display parameters affecting written and nonverbal warnings, few investigators have examined presentation parameters affecting auditorially presented verbal warnings. This investigation is the first systematic examination of display parameters affecting verbal warnings that required listeners to be engaged in a contextually appropriate simultaneous task. Participants responded to verbal collision avoidance system (CAS) messages while engaged in a simultaneous simulated driving task. Perceived urgency, alerting effectiveness and annoyance ratings and behavioral reaction times were examined as a function of the signal word, CAS message, and presentation level (PL). Consistent with predictions from previous research involving written warnings, differences in the perceived urgency were observed as a function of the signal word used. PL also significantly impacted perceived urgency and alerting effectiveness. CAS messages presented at a S/N ratio of at le...
Three investigations that demonstrate the importance of considering individual differences when d... more Three investigations that demonstrate the importance of considering individual differences when designing in-vehicle navigation systems are described. Drivers were categorised in terms of their spatial awareness and wayfinding strategies, based on brief self-report questionnaires. Experiment 1 revealed individual differences in route learning performance as a function of these categories and display modality (visual, auditory or both). Experiment 2 demonstrated that individuals within these categories use different route learning strategies that place differential demands on verbal vs. visuospatial working memory. Experiment 3 examined the navigational strategies and capabilities of older drivers and offers evidence-based design suggestions. These findings show that individual driver characteristics must be considered in order to reduce the attentional cost of extracting information from in-vehicle navigation systems. Effective displays are not a one size fits all configuration.
Matching the perceived urgency of an alert with the relative hazard level of the situation is cri... more Matching the perceived urgency of an alert with the relative hazard level of the situation is critical for effective alarm response. Two experiments describe the impact of acoustic and semantic parameters on ratings of perceived urgency, annoyance and alerting effectiveness and on alarm response speed. Within a simulated driving context, participants rated and responded to collision avoidance system (CAS) messages spoken by a female or male voice (experiments 1 and 2, respectively). Results indicated greater perceived urgency and faster alarm response times as intensity increased from −2 dB signal to noise (S/N) ratio to +10 dB S/N, although annoyance ratings increased as well. CAS semantic content interacted with alarm intensity, indicating that at lower intensity levels participants paid more attention to the semantic content. Results indicate that both acoustic and semantic parameters independently and interactively impact CAS alert perceptions in divided attention conditions and this work can inform auditory alarm design for effective hazard matching. Matching the perceived urgency of an alert with the relative hazard level of the situation is critical for effective alarm response. Here, both acoustic and semantic parameters independently and interactively impacted CAS alert perceptions in divided attention conditions. This work can inform auditory alarm design for effective hazard matching. Statement of Relevance: Results indicate that both acoustic parameters and semantic content can be used to design collision warnings with a range of urgency levels. Further, these results indicate that verbal warnings tailored to a specific hazard situation may improve hazard-matching capabilities without substantial trade-offs in perceived annoyance.
Recent work has identified an event-related potential (ERP) component, the incongruency negativit... more Recent work has identified an event-related potential (ERP) component, the incongruency negativity (N inc ), which is sensitive to auditory Stroop conflict processing. Here, we investigated how this index of conflict processing is influenced by individual differences in cognitive style. There is evidence that individuals differ in the strategy they use to navigate through the environment; some use a predominantly verbal-egocentric strategy while others rely more heavily on a spatial-allocentric strategy. In addition, navigational strategy, assessed by a way-finding questionnaire, is predictive of performance on an auditory spatial Stroop task, in which either the semantic or spatial dimension of stimuli must be ignored. To explore the influence of individual differences in navigational style on conflict processing, participants took part in an auditory spatial Stroop task while the electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Whereas behavioral performance only showed a main effect of congruency, we observed the predicted three-way interaction between congruency, task type and navigational style with respect to our physiological measure of Stroop conflict. Specifically, congruency-dependent modulation of the N inc was observed only when participants performed their non-dominant task (e.g., verbal navigators attempting to ignore semantic information). These results confirm that the N inc reliably indexes auditory Stroop conflict and extend previous results by demonstrating that the N inc is predictably modulated by individual differences in cognitive style.
This symposium describes collaborative research on neuroergonomics, technology, and cognition bei... more This symposium describes collaborative research on neuroergonomics, technology, and cognition being conducted at George Mason University and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as part of the Center of Excellence in Neuroergonomics, Technology, and Cognition (CENTEC). Six presentations describe the latest developments in neuroergonomics research conducted by CENTEC scientists. The individual papers cover studies of: (1) adaptive learning systems; (2) neurobehavioral synchronicity during team performance; (3) genetics and individual differences in decision making; (4) vigilance and mindlessness; (5) interruptions and multi-tasking; and (6) development of a simulation capability that integrates measures across these domains and levels of analysis.
Through a series of investigations involving different levels of contextual fidelity we developed... more Through a series of investigations involving different levels of contextual fidelity we developed scales of perceived urgency for several dimensions of the auditory, visual, and tactile modalities. Psychophysical ratings of perceived urgency, annoyance, and acceptability as well as behavioral responses to signals in each modality were obtained and analyzed using Steven's Power Law to allow comparison across modalities. Obtained results and their implications for use as in-vehicle alerts and warnings are discussed.
Adaptive training using neurophysiological measures requires efficient classification of mental w... more Adaptive training using neurophysiological measures requires efficient classification of mental workload in real time as a learner encounters new and increasingly difficult levels of tasks. Previous investigations have shown that artificial neural networks (ANNs) can accurately classify workload, but only when trained on neurophysiological exemplars from experienced operators on specific tasks. The present study examined classification accuracies for ANNs trained on electroencephalographic (EEG) activity recorded while participants performed the same (within task) and different (cross) tasks for short periods of time with little or no prior exposure to the tasks. Participants performed three working memory tasks at two difficulty levels with order of task and difficulty level counterbalanced. Within-task classification accuracies were high when ANNs were trained on exemplars from the same task or a set containing the to-be-classified task, (M = 87.1% and 85.3%, respectively). Cross-task classification accuracies were significantly lower (average 44.8%) indicating consistent systematic misclassification for certain tasks in some individuals. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for developing neurophysiologically driven adaptive training platforms.
... Matthew R. Risser', Danielle S. McNamaral, Carry1 L. Baldwin', Mark... more ... Matthew R. Risser', Danielle S. McNamaral, Carry1 L. Baldwin', Mark W. Scerbo', Immanuel Barshi2 ... Wickens (1 984) similarly proposes that separate resources are available with respect to the information-processing channel (auditory or visual), type of code (spatial or verbal ...
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