12 research outputs found
Recognizability and perceived urgency of bicycle bells
Raising awareness about how alarm sounds are perceived and evaluated
by an individual in traffic scenery is important for developing
new alarm designs, as well as for improving existing ones.
Bearing a positive contribution to road safety, cyclists and pedestrians
especially can benefit from appropriate alarming bell and
horn sounds. Primarily, the alarm signal should evoke a precise
idea of what is the source of the warning and the desired reaction
to it. Furthermore, it should not be masked by other noises thus
going undetected by the ear. Finally, an appropriate warning signal
should transmit the urgency of a given situation, while at the
same time, it should not cause other road users and pedestrians to
startle.
In two listening experiments, we examined the perception of
commonly available bicycle bells and horns. Average typicality or
recognizability as a bicycle bell among other everyday sounds has
been investigated through a free identification task. In a second
experiment, we tested perceived urgency of the warning sounds in
relation to traffic noise. This article further provides a survey on
non-verbal alarm design, as well as an analysis of acoustic properties
of common bicycle bells and horns. Consequently, a linear
regression model presents the relationship between named properties
and perceived urgency.
It is our intention to give an insight into the often unattended
but important issue of the perception of auditory warning sounds
in our everyday acoustic environment