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Auditory
Channel - Advantages
Each
sense modality can be thought of as a "channel" through
which information is received and processed. Each channel has limited
capacity or bandwidth in terms of the amount of information that
can pass through it at one time. "Channel capacity," a
concept derived from information processing theory, is useful in
selecting the appropriate sense modality or modalities in display
design.
The
human visual system has the greatest channel capacity/bandwidth
and is heavily relied upon in display design. However, the auditory
channel has several characteristics that make it more appropriate
to use in some instances.
- Sound
Surrounds - Sound is omni-directional.
- No
or Low Visibility Environments
- Hearing does not depend on the presence of light.
- Attention
Getting - Sound can be very obtrusive, immediately demanding
our attention.
- Attention
Concentrating - Our auditory system can filter sound,
enabling us to locate and attend to specific sounds in a noisy
or sound-filled background.
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Listening
to a symphony, we can selectively attend to and separate out
the sounds of different instruments such as the flutes, clarinets,
or violins. The drums
and cymbals immediately gain our attention. |
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