Auditory Alert Characteristics: A Survey of Pilot Views

This survey obtained feedback from 50 commercial pilots on the design characteristics of a set of auditory flight deck alerts. The first section in the online questionnaire assessed pilot views on current loudness levels and prevalence of cognitive impairment from alert presentation. The second section in the questionnaire required the pilots to rate the effectiveness of 10 auditory alerts currently in operation on a large commercial aircraft. In general, the alerts were rated favorably on informational content variables, but unfavorably on presentation style variables. Loud, continuous alerts can distract pilot attention away from processing task-related information, increasing the potential for error. New methods for alert presentation are suggested, based on real-time analysis of flight deck noise. This is argued to offer a more suitable environment for problem solving, decision making, and communication during alert situations.

[1]  Todd Mondor,et al.  Judging the urgency of non-verbal auditory alarms: a case study , 2004, Ergonomics.

[2]  Loukia D. Loukopoulos,et al.  COCKPIT INTERRUPTIONS AND DISTRACTIONS: A LINE OBSERVATION STUDY , 2001 .

[3]  Amy R. Pritchett.  REVIEWING THE ROLE OF COCKPIT ALERTING SYSTEMS , 2001 .

[4]  L V Rigby,et al.  A Predictive Scale of Aircraft Emergencies1 , 1968, Human factors.

[5]  Lena Martensson.  The Aircraft Crash at Gottrora: Experiences of the Cockpit Crew , 1995 .

[6]  R Hétu,et al.  Audibility and identification of auditory alarms in the operating room and intensive care unit. , 1993, Ergonomics.

[7]  M Spreng,et al.  Disturbed sleep patterns and limitation of noise. , 2004, Noise & health.

[8]  J. Edworthy,et al.  On using psychophysical techniques to achieve urgency mapping in auditory warnings. , 1999, Applied ergonomics.

[9]  M. Bradley,et al.  Affective reactions to acoustic stimuli. , 2000, Psychophysiology.

[10]  J. G. Hollands,et al.  Engineering Psychology and Human Performance , 1984 .

[11]  R I Thackray,et al.  Recovery of Motor Performance following Startle , 1970, Perceptual and motor skills.

[12]  Judy Edworthy,et al.  The Relationship between Task Performance, Reaction Time, and Perceived Urgency in Nonverbal Auditory Warnings , 2000 .

[13]  C. Grillon,et al.  Darkness facilitates the acoustic startle reflex in humans , 1997, Biological Psychiatry.

[14]  W Boucsein,et al.  Effects of stimulus intensity, risetime, and duration on autonomic and behavioral responding: implications for the differentiation of orienting, startle, and defense responses. , 1999, Psychophysiology.

[15]  Dylan M. Jones,et al.  Auditory Distraction and Short-Term Memory: Phenomena and Practical Implications , 2001, Hum. Factors.

[16]  J. R. Comstock,et al.  A psychophysiological evaluation of the perceived urgency of auditory warning signals. , 1995, Ergonomics.

[17]  Judy Edworthy,et al.  Urgency mapping in auditory warning signals , 1995 .

[18]  Robert D. Sorkin,et al.  FORUM: Why are people turning off our alarms? , 1988 .

[19]  James P. Bliss,et al.  Investigation of Alarm-Related Accidents and Incidents in Aviation , 2003 .

[20]  R. R. Patterson,et al.  Guidelines for auditory warning systems on civil aircraft , 1982 .

[21]  David Woods,et al.  The alarm problem and directed attention in dynamic fault management , 1995 .

[22]  Jan Noyes,et al.  Civil Aircraft Warning Systems: Future Directions in Information Management and Presentation , 2000 .

[23]  Judy Edworthy,et al.  Designing urgency into auditory warnings using pitch, speed and loudness , 1996 .

[24]  Frank H Hawkins,et al.  Human Factors in Flight , 1987 .

[25]  E C Haas,et al.  Perceived urgency of and response time to multi-tone and frequency-modulated warning signals in broadband noise. , 1995, Ergonomics.

[26]  Pernilla Ulfvengren.  Associability: A comparison of sounds in a cognitive approach to auditory alert design , 2003 .

[27]  D J Folds,et al.  Auditory signals in military aircraft: ergonomics principles versus practice. , 1986, Applied ergonomics.

[28]  Elizabeth Hellier,et al.  Auditory warnings in noisy environments. , 2000, Noise & health.

[29]  J. D. Miller.  Effects of noise on people. , 1974, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.