Auditory Spatial Facilitation of Visual Search Performance: Effect of Cue Precision and Distractor Density

Two experiments examined auditory spatial facilitation of visual search performance under conditions varying in auditory cue precision and visual distractor density. The auditory cue was spatially coincided with the target, was displaced from the target by 6°, or was uninformative. Distractors were manipulated globally (throughout the field) and locally (within 6.5° of the target) separately at densities of 0%, 20%, and 80%. In Experiment 1, auditory cue precision was constant and distractor densities varied within a trial block; in Experiment 2, auditory precision varied and distractor densities were constant within a trial block. Coincident auditory cues minimized local and global distractor effects in both experiments, suggesting that auditory spatial cues facilitate both target localization and identification. The effectiveness of displaced auditory cues depended on cue reliability: In some conditions, displaced cues caused higher mean search latencies than did centered cues, indicating that participants were unable to ignore inaccurate auditory stimuli. Actual or potential applications of this research include virtual audio environments and auditory displays in cockpits.