Using Auditory Streaming to Reduce Disruption to Serial Memory by Extraneous Auditory Warnings

Three experiments were conducted to examine the effects of extraneous speech warnings (i.e., lowpriority warnings initiated during high-priority tasks) on cognitive performance and whether organizing the auditory warnings into streams can attenuate any disruption. Experiment 1 demonstrated that a variety of speech warnings can be separated into perceptually distinct streams by allocating them to discrete spatial locations. Experiment 2 showed that increasing the rate of presentation of the warnings to promote streaming decreased clarity ratings but increased perceived urgency ratings. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the disruption to serial memory for navigational information by extraneous speech warnings could be attenuated by streaming. Kesults are interpreted in light of previous research, and practical implications for auditory warning design are discussed. Auditory warnings have an important role in attracting attention and conveying information in a number of work domains, including commercial and military aviation. Warnings are a simple but vital "first call" to situations in which action might be required to alleviate an accident or incident (Edworthy, 1994) and are typically used in high-workload, high-stress working environments (Edworthy & Adams, 1996). The prevalence of auditory warnings is rapidly increasing because of, in part, an increase in technological advances and capabilities (Pritchett, 2001). This trend is likely to continue given that designers have tended to operate on the basis of a "better safe than sorry" philosophy with regard to the integration of auditory warnings into new systems (Edworthy & Adams, 1996).