ABSTRACT
A few early interface design studies that were focused on trying to improve air cockpit or control room design investigated the potential performance advantages that might be offered by the presentation of spatially-localized auditory warning signals in an applied setting. In one oft-cited study by D. R. Begault, air pilots were instructed to perform a visual search task for targets presented through the window of a cockpit with the aid of spatial auditory cues that were always presented from the same direction as the visual targets. From an applied perspective, it is important to try and distinguish between the potential benefits offered by the exogenous orienting of spatial attention and those offered by the endogenous orienting of attention. In real-world driving, a driver’s visual attention is primarily focused toward the front, with events at the rear typically only monitored by means of the rearview and side mirrors.
