Spearcon compression levels influence the gap in comprehension between untrained and trained listeners

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Auditory Display Technology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Hospital auditory alarms lack specificity, hindering clinical awareness.
• Spearcons (speech-compressed sounds) offer a potential alternative to traditional alarms.
• Controlling spearcon intelligibility for different user groups is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if variable speech compression can create a difference in spearcon intelligibility between trained and untrained listeners.
• To test reverse hierarchy theory predictions regarding auditory perception and training.

Main Methods:

• Experiment 1: Assessed intelligibility of spearcons compressed uniformly to 20% or 25% duration.
• Experiment 2: Applied word-specific compression rates based on Experiment 1 findings.
• Participants included trained and untrained listeners evaluating spearcon comprehension.

Main Results:

• Uniform compression (Experiment 1) resulted in high intelligibility for both trained and untrained listeners.
• Word-specific compression (Experiment 2) successfully differentiated intelligibility, making spearcons understandable to trained but not untrained listeners.
• Training significantly impacted the ability to comprehend spearcons when compression was applied variably.

Conclusions:

• Manipulating speech compression on a word-by-word basis is an effective method for controlling spearcon intelligibility.
• This technique can be used to ensure critical auditory information is conveyed to trained personnel while remaining unintelligible to untrained individuals.
• Spearcons offer a customizable auditory alert system for healthcare environments.