Cognitive implications of facilitating echoic persistence.
Seventeen participants performed a tone-pattern-matching task at different presentation levels while concurrently engaged in a simulated-driving task. Presentation levels of 60, 65, and 70 dBC (SPL) were combined factorially with tone-matching delays of 2, 3, and 4 sec. Intensity had no effect on performance in single-task conditions and short-delay conditions. However, when the participants were engaged concurrently in the driving task, a significant interaction between presentation level and delay was observed. In the longest delay condition, the participants performed the tone-pattern-matching task more efficiently (more quickly and without additional errors) as presentation intensity increased. These findings demonstrate the interaction between sensory and cognitive processes and point to a direct-intensity relationship where intensity affects the persistence of echoic memory. Implications for facilitating auditory processing and improving auditory interfaces in complex systems (i.e., transportation environments), particularly for older and hearing-impaired listeners, are discussed.
Baldwin
Carryl L
CL
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA. cbaldwin@gmu.edu
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D013067:Speech Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires