Includes bibliographical references (p. 261-314) and index.

Hearing: The Neglected Sense
Introduction
The Battle of the Senses: Vision versus Audition
Early Human Performance Research
Early Developments in Modern Cognitive Psychology
Sensation and Perception Research
Scope of This Book
Concluding Remarks

The Auditory World
Introduction
Sources of Sound
Sources of Sound in Work Environments
Sources of Sound in the Cockpit
In-Vehicle Auditory Telematics
Sounds in Medical Care Environments
Auditory Devices for the Visually Impaired
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Auditory Pattern Perception: The Auditory Processing System
Introduction
Characteristics of Sound Perception
The Sound Stimulus
Music Processing
Essential Auditory Processes
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Auditory Cognition: The Role of Attention and Cognition in Auditory Processing
Introduction
Attention
Early Attention Research
The Information-Processing Approach
Working Memory
Serial versus Parallel Processing
Artificial Neural Networks
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Theories and Techniques of Mental Workload Assessment
Introduction
Limited-Capacity Models
Resource Theories
Working Memory Processes
Multiple Resources—Multiple Networks
Mental Workload: Key Constructs
Mental Workload Assessment
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Auditory Tasks in Cognitive Research
Introduction
Historical Beginnings
Dichotic Listening Tasks
Encoding and Retrieval Processes
Auditory Task Indices of Working Memory
Psychological Refractory Period
Mental Workload Assessment
Auditory Neuropsychological Tests
Auditory Tasks in Cognitive Aging Research
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Nonverbal Sounds and Workload
Introduction
Auditory Perceptual Organization
Auditory Object Recognition
Music
Music Defined
Music and Performance
Music and Cognition
The Mozart Effect
Musical Training
Noise
Chronic Noise Exposure
Auditory Vigilance
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Mental Workload and Speech Processing
Introduction
Chapter Overview
Speech-Processing Challenges
Lexical Selection
Syntactical Level
Approaches to Speech-Processing Theory
Models of Word Recognition
Parameters Influencing Mental Workload
Applications
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Cross-Modal Influences in Sound and Speech
Introduction
Verbal and Visual Codes
Language by Ear and by Eye
Cross-Modal Links
Audiovisual Speech
Cross-Modal Spatial Attention
Time-Sharing Auditory and Visual Tasks
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Auditory Processing and the Older Adult
Introduction
Age-Related Changes in Auditory Processing
Age-Related Changes in Hearing
Age-Related Cognitive Changes
Age-Related Changes in Speech Processing
Strategy Differences and Compensation
Age-Related Design
Summary
Concluding Remarks

Auditory Display Design
Introduction
Advantages of Auditory Displays
Auditory Display Challenges
Psychoacoustics of Auditory Displays
Data Sonification
Auditory Displays in Complex Environments
Summary
Concluding Remarks

References
Index

"Although auditory tasks are important and well recognized, the mental workload associated with auditory processing has received relatively little attention. New and improved neurophysiological methods of examining auditory processing have opened new ways for understanding the relationship between auditory processing and mental workload. Auditory Processing and Mental Workloads brings together for the first time a thorough examination of the information processing demands of auditory signals and provides extensive coverage of topical areas including audition in human factors research, cognitive aspects of auditory processing related to attention, and the impact of advanced auditory displays"-- Provided by publisher.

"How people acquire and process information has been a fundamental question in psychology since its inception. Cognitive science has devoted much effort to addressing the question, but typically in the domain of vision. Auditory processing has generally received less extensive inquiry, whether in basic perceptual or cognitive psychology or in applied areas such as human factors. Moreover, even within the field of audition, higher-order auditory processes have received less study than such lower-level processes as loudness and pitch perception (Bregman, 1990; Plomp, 2002). Yet over the past two decades there has been a growing base of empirical research on auditory cognition and its role in human performance at work and in everyday life. I describe this work in this book. The notion that listening requires attention and that it can at times be a difficult undertaking is well known to the elementary school teacher. Less well appreciated is the effort that we adults must put forth to comprehend auditory information in our everyday lives. Auditory processing relies on mechanisms of the brain as well as the ear. Describing the mental effort involved in these interacting mechanisms is the primary purpose of this book"-- Provided by publisher.