Multimodal urgency coding: auditory, visual, and tactile parameters and their impact on perceived urgency
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons
Published on: November 9, 2018
Carryl L Baldwin1, Jesse L Eisert, Andre Garcia
1Department of Psychology, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, United States of America. cbaldwi4@gmu.edu
Abstract:
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.
Related Concept Videos
Sensory Modalities
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
Factors Affecting Perception
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...
Introduction to Special Senses
Auditory Perception
Intensity and Pressure of Sound Waves
Unlike the time average of a sinusoidal term, which is zero since it is positive and...

