Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
07:52
An Automated System for Sound Localization Testing in Hearing-Impaired Listeners
Published on: March 13, 2026
Mapping candidate within-vehicle auditory displays to their referents
Denis McKeown1, Sarah Isherwood
1School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. d.mckeown@leeds.ac.uk
Human Factors
|June 8, 2007
Summary
Speech and auditory icons are best for in-vehicle alerts, offering fast responses and high accuracy. Other sound types, like abstract or environmental sounds, are less effective for auditory display design.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Auditory Display Design
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Auditory displays must be urgent and elicit quick responses.
- Semiotic analysis highlights the need for successful mapping between sound signals and their referents.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate speech, environmental sounds, auditory icons, and abstract synthetic warnings for in-vehicle interfaces.
- Evaluate candidate auditory displays for effective communication of driving events.
Main Methods:
- Assessed response times and accuracy in identifying learned sound-referent mappings.
- Evaluated perceived urgency and pleasantness of different sound types.
Main Results:
- Speech and auditory icons achieved near-perfect accuracy and fast response times.
- Abstract and environmental sounds showed slower responses and lower accuracy.
- Perceived urgency correlated negatively with pleasantness for non-speech sounds.
Conclusions:
- Signal-referent relationships are crucial for effective auditory display design.
- Findings apply to vehicle interfaces and broader auditory display contexts.
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