The effect of pitch shifts on the identification of environmental sounds: Design considerations for the modification of sounds in auditory displays

Abstract

To examine the plausibility of dynamically adjusting the sounds presented by an auditory display, a study addressing the effects of pitch shifting on the identifiability of a set of forty-one environmental sounds was carried out. The sounds were shifted both up and down in pitch and presented to listeners who were asked to identify them. Results show that pitch shifting is detrimental to the identification of environmental sounds, suggesting that benefits gained from dynamically manipulating sounds in an auditory display must be carefully weighed against perceptual effects on their identifiability. Results also indicated that the sounds in our study better retained their identity when shifted down in pitch than when shifted up. This result however is believed to arise from confounds in the study.