ABSTRACT
Auditory processing is often given little attention when designing virtual environments (VEs) or simulations. This lack of attention is unfortunate because auditory cues play a crucial role in everyday life. Auditory cues increase awareness of surroundings, cue visual attention, and convey a variety of complex information without taxing the visual system. The entertainment industry has long recognized the importance of sound to create ambience and emotion, aspects that are often lacking in VEs. Placing someone in a virtual world with an improperly designed auditory interface is equivalent to creating a virtual hearing impairment for the user, making them less aware of their surroundings, and contributing to feelings of isolation.
