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Elizabeth Hellier

Publications and source records attributed to Elizabeth Hellier.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Designing trend-monitoring sounds for helicopters: methodological issues and an application.

This article explores methodological issues in sonification and sound design arising from the design of helicopter monitoring sounds. Six monitoring sounds (each with 5 levels) were tested for similarity and meaning with 3 different techniques: hierarchical cluster analysis, linkage analysis, and multidimensional scaling. In Experiment 1, similarity ratings for the top and bottom levels of the sounds were obtained. In Experiments 2 and 3, the stimuli were rated along adjectives relevant to their application. The different sound groupings that resulted from the different clustering techniques are discussed, as is the potentially contradictory relationship between acoustic dimensions and adjectival descriptors. Generally, the results validate the design of the sounds and show that increases in stimulus value are more salient than are decreases.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Linguistic and location effects in compliance with pesticide warning labels for amateur and professional users.

Three studies explored amateur and professional users' compliance with pesticide warning labels. Professionals were classified as people working in a profession in which the use of pesticides is a necessary part of their job. Amateurs used pesticides only in their leisure time. The first study showed that the wording used affected perception of the appropriateness of hazard statements, one of the most effective variations being the use of the personal pronoun (statements beginning "You should..."). The location of warning information was also found to affect actual compliance: Compliance increased when warning information was presented in the directions for use section. A supplemental directive increased compliance only for professional users. In a final study, "best-case" and "worst-case" linguistic variations were combined with best-case and worst-case locations for safety information. Instruction statements using the personal pronoun and presented in the directions for use section resulted in the highest levels of compliance. The differences in compliance between amateur and professional users are interpreted within the framework of Rasmussen's (1986) distinction among skill-, rule-, and knowledge-based behavior. Actual or potential applications of this research include the design of warning labels and safety information.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

The perceived urgency of speech warnings: semantics versus acoustics.

The relationship between the semantics of words and the acoustics of the way they are spoken is explored. Actors spoke warning signal words in an urgent, nonurgent and monotone style, and participants rated the urgency of the words. Results showed effects for signal word and style of presentation. Acoustic analysis showed that the urgent words were spoken at higher frequency with a broader pitch range and were louder than the nonurgent or monotone words. These acoustic differences were used to synthesize artificial versions of signal words in urgent and nonurgent formats. The urgent words were rated as more urgent than the nonurgent words, a finding attributable to their differing acoustics. Within each speaking style the words were acoustically the same, yet effects for signal word were found, suggesting that semantics is also important in urgency perception. This research has implications for the design and implementation of speech warning systems, particularly those in which urgency mapping is required.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Auditory warnings in noisy environments.

Auditory warnings are used throughout industry, transport, and the medical world. Despite the fact that auditory warnings frequently have to compete with intense and complex noise backgrounds, their use is widespread. This article reviews research and practice in the area of auditory warning design and implementation with particular emphasis on noisy environments. Auditory and visual modalities as warning senses are compared, and ergonomic methods of producing warnings which are acoustically tailored to their environments are reviewed. Developments in design approaches are reviewed with examples of both traditional types of warnings and digital, contemporary warning styles. Other issues such as false alarms and the minimisation of warning numbers are briefly considered.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Patient safety.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Ergonomics↗