Improving Auditory Warning Design: Relationship between Warning Sound Parameters and Perceived Urgency

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study of the effects of individual sound parameters on perceived (psychoacoustic) urgency. Experimental Series 1 showed that fundamental frequency, harmonic series, amplitude envelope shape, and delayed harmonics all have clear and consistent effects on perceived urgency. Experimental Series 2 showed that temporal and melodic parameters such as speed, rhythm, pitch range, and melodic structure also have clear and consistent effects on perceived urgency. The final experiment tested a set of 13 auditory warnings generated by an application of the earlier experimental findings. The urgency rank ordering of this warning set was predicted, and the correlation between the predicted and the obtained order was highly significant. The results of these experiments have a widespread application in the improvement of existing auditory warning systems and the design of new systems, where the psychoacoustic and psychological appropriateness of warnings could be enhanced.

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