title: Perceived urgency mapping across modalities within a driving context.
abstract: Hazard mapping is essential to effective driver-vehicle interface (DVI) design. Determining which modality to use for situations of different criticality requires an understanding of the relative impact of signal parameters within each modality on perceptions of urgency and annoyance. Towards this goal we obtained psychometric functions for visual, auditory and tactile interpulse interval (IPI), visual color, signal word, and auditory fundamental frequency on perceptions of urgency, annoyance, and acceptability. Results indicate that manipulation of IPI in the tactile modality, relative to visual and auditory, has greater utility (greater impact on urgency than annoyance). Manipulations of color were generally rated as less annoying and more acceptable than auditory and tactile stimuli; but they were also rated as lower in urgency relative to other modality manipulations. Manipulation of auditory fundamental frequency resulted in high ratings of both urgency and annoyance. Results of the current investigation can be used to guide DVI design and evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, George Mason University, MS 3Fa, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. Electronic address: Cbaldwi4@gmu.edu.
authors.forename: Carryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, George Mason University, MS 3Fa, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
authors.forename: Bridget A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology; D001336:Automobiles; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017010:Reminder Systems; D012449:Safety; D055698:Touch Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Annoyance; Auditory warnings; Driver–vehicle interface; Multimodal comparisons; Perceived urgency; Psychometric function; Tactile warnings; Visual warnings