Human Factors Military Lexicon: Auditory Displays

Abstract

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. AbstractThis report is a lexicon of terms developed by the Department of Defense Spatial Audio Display Working Group in an attempt to standardize terminology used by human factors researchers working in the area of auditory displays and human-machine communication. The lexicon has been primarily developed for the U.S. armed forces research groups, but it is hoped that it will be also useful for other Government academic, and industrial organizations. In addition to definitions specific to auditory displays, speech communication, and audio technology, the lexicon includes several terms unique to military operational environments and human factors engineering applications. Furthermore, human factors researchers appear to be increasingly interested in conducting integrated studies of auditory and visual perception in order to answer broad questions related to human situational awareness and performance. Therefore, the lexicon also includes some definitions related to visual perception, particularly in the areas of visual displays, virtual reality, and communication symbology. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe authors would like to thank Carolyn Bennett

Eight Components of a Design Theory of Sonification

“…389) that result in pseudotheory before fully-developed theory emerges. The sonification literature has produced scholarship with long lists of references cataloging variables and constructs [3], taxonomies [8], [9], design space maps [10], conceptual models [11], design guidelines [12], and frameworks for capturing design patterns [13], yet none of these are theories of sonification (see [14], [15]).…”

Audio helmet-mounted displays

“…The effect of noise on the perceived signal is usually quantified as a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The SNR is the ratio of some measured aspect of a signal to a similar measure of a concurrent noise expressed in a logarithmic form (Letowski et al, 2001).…”

“…Visual displays can be produced by video display systems or can be a result of a specific visible behavior or arrangement of visible objects in the natural environment. In the same way an auditory display can be produced by an audio display system or it can be an arrangement of natural sounds entering the ear (Letowski et al, 2001). In other words, an auditory display is the sum of acoustic signals generating a perception of a particular acoustic environment.…”

Effects of Speech Intensity on the Callsign Acquisition Test (CAT) and Modified Rhyme Test (MRT) Presented in Noise

“…Speech intelligibility (SI) is defined as the percentage of speech units (i.e., phonemes, syllables, words, phrases, or sentences) that may be correctly identified by a listener (Letowski et al, 2001). Several different SI tests are currently utilized in both research and practice.…”