The Information of Elementary Multidimensional Auditory Displays

TLDR

Elementary auditory displays can encode information using either few finely subdivided dimensions or many crudely subdivided dimensions, but prior research has focused on the former; this study examines the latter. The study investigates informational transmission using elementary auditory displays with six to eight crudely subdivided stimulus dimensions. The authors examined this by testing skilled listeners on displays where each dimension was divided into two alternative states. Skilled listeners achieved nearly perfect identification with displays where each of the six to eight dimensions had only two states, and increasing subdivision beyond two states did not yield proportional gains in information transmission.

Abstract

A given amount of information may be incorporated within elementary auditory displays by utilizing a small number of finely subdivided stimulus dimensions or by utilizing a relatively larger number of crudely subdivided stimulus dimensions. Experimental interest to date has been confined largely to the former type of display; the present study considers the latter type. Specifically, the informational transmission with elementary auditory displays of a large number (6–8) stimulus dimensions was investigated. In general, nearly perfect identification was obtained with skilled listeners when each dimension was crudely subdivided into two alternative states. Finer subdivision of each dimension does not produce a proportional gain in information transmission with the display.