Aurally Aided Visual Search in Three-Dimensional Space

Abstract

We conducted an experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of spatial audio displays on target acquisition performance. Participants performed a visual search task with and without the aid of a spatial audio display. Potential target locations ranged between plus and minus 1800 in azimuth and from 700 to +900 in elevation. Independent variables included the number of visual distractors present (1, 5, 10, 25, 50) and the spatial audio condition (no spatial audio, free-field spatial audio, virtual spatial audio). Results indicated that both free-field and virtual audio cues engendered a significant decrease in search times. Potential applications of this research include the design of spatial audio displays for aircraft cockpits and ground combat vehicles.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA430240

Entities

People

  • Richard L. McKinley
  • Robert S. Bolia
  • William R. D'angelo

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Absorption
  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Aircrafts
  • Combat Vehicles
  • Digital Signal Processing
  • Free Field
  • Human-Machine Interaction
  • Military Research
  • Psychology
  • Reaction Time
  • Target Acquisition
  • Three Dimensional
  • Transfer Functions
  • Visual Targets

Readers

  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
  • Speech Processing/Speech Recognition.
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Space Objects