The Benefits of Auditory Spatial Information in Visual Processing

Techniques for the production of externalized, “3-dimensional” sound images for acoustic signals presented via headphone were developed in the past decade. These 3-D sound systems simulate both interaural time and intensity cues, and cues based on the action of the pinnae on incoming sound sources (e.g. Wenzel, Wightman and Foster, 1988). It has been anticipated that these 3-D sound systems would be useful in the cockpit and other work settings because they provide a natural method directing an operator to some event in the environment. This symposium is a progress report on research which has either examined potential applications of 3-D sound systems in the workplace, or attempted to understand how auditory spatial cues direct visual attention. Researchers at NASA Ames Research Center and Wright Patterson Air Force Base have identified cockpit tasks that can benefit from auditory spatial cueing. Some of these tasks include gate identification, blunder avoidance, and traffic identification of approaching and receding targets.

The benefits of audio spatial cueing are usually measured by determining the reduction in search latency that is realized when searching for targets with and without auditory spatial cues. These benefits can be explained by the findings that both simple detection and identification times are faster and more constant across the frontal hemifield when auditory spatial cues are presented with the target. Furthermore, for sounds presented in the central visual field, auditory spatial cues can either supplement or substitute for abrupt visual onsets in directing visual attention.