Improving target detection in visual search through the augmenting multi-sensory cues

Abstract

The present experiment tested 60 individuals on a multiple screen, visual target detection task. Using a within-participant design, individuals received no-cue augmentation, an augmenting tactile cue alone, an augmenting auditory cue alone or both of the latter augmentations in combination. Results showed significant and substantive improvements in performance such that successful search speed was facilitated by more than 43%, errors of omission were reduced by 86% and errors of commission were reduced by more than 77% in the combinatorial cueing condition compared with the non-cued control. These outcomes were not a trade of performance efficiency for associated mental effort because recorded levels of cognitive workload were also reduced by more than 30% in the multi-cued circumstance compared with the control condition. When the tactile modality was incorporated it led to the highest gain in performance speed, when the auditory modality was incorporated, it led to the best levels of performance accuracy. The combined condition rendered the best of each from of performance increment. Reasons for this outcome pattern are discussed alongside their manifest practical benefits.

Practitioner Summary: This experiment tested 60 individuals on a multiple screen, visual target detection task. Individuals received no-cue augmentation, tactile cue alone, an augmenting auditory cue alone or both of the latter augmentations in combination. Results showed significant and substantive improvements in the combinatorial cueing condition compared with the non-cued control.

Keywords:

• auditory cueing
• tactile cueing
• augmented support
• target detection
• visual search

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Cadets from the Engineering Psychology Program at the USMA for their diligence in creating the stimuli for the experiment and helping to collect the data for the present experiment. Our thanks are also due to Dr Aaron Duley for his LabView programming, which enabled the experimental protocol. The work was supported by the government contract number W911NF-08-1-0196, Adaptation of Physiological and Cognitive Workload via Interactive Multi-Modal Displays from the Army Research Office, P.A. Hancock, Principal Investigator. Dr Elmar Schmeisser was the Technical Monitor for the grant. The views expressed in this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official Army policy.