Effect of Visual-Verbal Load and Spatial Compatibility on Stimulus Response

This study examined the effects of visual-verbalload (as measured by a visually presented reading-memory task with three levels) on a visual/auditory stimulus-response task. The three levels of load were defined as follows: "No Load" meant no other stimuli were presented concurrently; "Free Load" meant that a letter (A, B, C, or D) appeared at the same time as the visual or auditory stimulus; and "Force Load" was the same as "Free Load," but the participants were also instructed to count how many times the letter A appeared. The stimulus-response task also had three levels: "irrelevant," "compatible," and "incompatible" spatial conditions. These required different key-pressing responses. The visual stimulus was a red ball presented either to the left or to the right of the display screen, and the auditory stimulus was a tone delivered from a position similar to that of the visual stimulus. Participants also processed an irrelevant stimulus. The results indicated that participants perceived auditory stimuli earlier than visual stimuli and reacted faster under stimulus-response compatible conditions. These results held even under a high visual-verbal load. These findings suggest the following guidelines for systems used in driving: an auditory source, appropriately compatible signal and manual-response positions, and a visually simplified background

Audiology · Auditory stimuli · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Perception · Second-order stimulus · Stimulus (psychology · Stimulus–response compatibility · Visual perception · Communication · Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders · Medicine · Multisensory perception and integration · Neuroscience · Psychology · Tactile and Sensory Interactions

• The influence of irrelevant location information on performance

  Open Access•Chen-hui Lu, Robert W Proctor•Psychonomic Bulletin & Review•1995

  Add to list