Auditory Discrimination based on P300 component.

This study focuses on analyzing the electrophysiological and perceptual attention response to six auditory variants (frequency, intensity, and spatiality). Two ranges are used for each parameter: frequencies of 500 Hz and 1000 Hz, intensities of 60 dB SPL and 67 dB SPL, and spatialities of 0º and 90º. The aim is to measure the Event-Related Potential (ERP) and the attention given to the changes between differences in acoustic parameters, in addition to comparing responses across three different stimuli. The justification is based on previous research and standards such as ISO 15006, highlighting the importance of understanding cognitive responses to variations in auditory alerts, especially in vehicular contexts. This knowledge is crucial, as evidenced in studies by the Office of Research, Development, and Technology and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The importance of this study lies in its potential to aid in the design of more effective auditory alerts in critical contexts, such as vehicular safety. The experimental procedure requires an initial audiometry to determine auditory thresholds and meet the inclusion criteria (participants must score a value under 20 dB to ensure they don’t have hearing loss), followed by registering the subject's basal state (which lasts 1 minute) and then exposing them to a series of sounds under controlled conditions (lasting 3 minutes each). In three distinct stages, participants listen to 180 sounds, including 144 frequent sounds and 36 infrequent sounds in each stage, varying in frequency, amplitude, and spatiality in an oddball paradigm. The sequence of these infrequent sounds was randomized. Participants were instructed to count the infrequent sounds they listened to, and to press a key on the keyboard upon detecting each one. After each stage, participants completed a questionnaire, which consists of 6 questions, taking approximately 1 minute maximum and is done between each experimental condition. This questionnaire is taken from a part of the Auditory Processing Domains Questionnaire to determine how many infrequent sounds they detected and assess their level of attention during the experiment. The main hypothesis suggests that an increase in the acoustic characteristics of the sound will generate a more significant attentional response, expecting a P300 amplitude increase. This study is an effort to understand how acoustic variations in auditory alerts may affect cognitive and attentional processes, a field of great relevance in vehicular safety and user interface design.本研究聚焦于分析六种听觉变体（频率、强度与空间属性）对应的电生理与感知注意响应。针对每个参数设置两类取值：频率为500 Hz与1000 Hz，强度为60 dB声压级（SPL）与67 dB SPL，空间位置为0°与90°。本研究旨在测量事件相关电位（Event-Related Potential, ERP）以及被试对声学参数差异变化的注意程度，同时对比三种不同刺激下的响应差异。本研究的依据源自既有研究与ISO 15006等相关标准，强调理解听觉警报声学变化引发的认知响应的重要性，尤其在车载场景中。美国研究、开发与技术办公室（Office of Research, Development, and Technology）与美国运输部（U.S. Department of Transportation）的相关研究已证实，该类认知知识具备关键价值。本研究的核心意义在于，其成果有望助力关键场景下更高效的听觉警报设计，例如车载安全领域。实验流程首先需开展初始听力测试以确定被试的听觉阈值，满足入组标准（被试听力阈值需低于20 dB，以确保无听力损失）；随后记录被试的基础状态（持续1分钟），再将被试置于受控环境中暴露于一系列声音刺激（每个阶段持续3分钟）。整个实验分为三个独立阶段，每个阶段中被试将聆听180个声音，其中包含144个标准刺激与36个偏差刺激，刺激在频率、振幅与空间属性上存在变化，采用Oddball范式。偏差刺激的序列为随机生成。被试被要求统计所聆听的偏差刺激次数，并在检测到每个偏差刺激时按下键盘按键。每个实验阶段结束后，被试需完成一份包含6个问题的问卷，耗时最多约1分钟，该问卷改编自《听觉加工领域问卷》（Auditory Processing Domains Questionnaire）的部分内容，用于评估被试检测到的偏差刺激数量，并评定其在实验过程中的注意水平。本研究的核心假设为：声音声学特征的增强将引发更显著的注意响应，具体表现为P300波幅升高。本研究旨在探明听觉警报的声学变化如何影响认知与注意过程，该领域在车载安全与用户界面设计中具备极高的研究价值。