AUDITORY SIGNALS,
Abstract
Auditory signals are a form of display, but are usually characterized by being discrete in time, and some action is assumed on receipt of the information. Whenever a communications situation is concerned with a limited kind of information, an auditory signal can be used to provide a fast indicator of what to do. They are likewise useful as a substitute for visual displays when the visual load on an operator becomes too great. One of the chief advantages of the auditory signal is that the transmission of information can be completely automatic. The radio range is a relatively simple form of auditory signal, and research on the use of the radio range involves simple intensity discrimination of tones. Flybar, on the other hand, is a complex form of auditory signal which provides three simultaneous signals for use by aircraft pilots in flight. These tow systems of auditory signals have been used to illustrate the type of research which is done on these problems. The major research requirement for auditory signals is basic research in the psychology of hearing. Of the many topics which are covered in that area, however, research on simple and complex discrimination, stimulus interactions, auditory localization, psychological scaling, and auditory illusions appears to be the most profitable from the point of view of possible application to the problems of auditory signalling. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 15, 1949
- Accession Number
- AD0639628
Entities
People
- W. R. Garner
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University