Cooperation of Listener and Computer in a Recognition Task: Effects of Listener Reliability

The purposes of the experiments were (a) to evaluate the influence of a computer display on the ability of listeners to recognize complex sounds, (b) to determine what effect variations in audio signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio would have on combined performance, and (c) to discover the strategy used by the listener to combine the computer with audio evidence. Thirty-three Naval Ratings were tested over twelve 112-h sessions. In the scored sessions, listening performance, computer performance, and listener-plus-computer performance (C & Li) were assessed. It was found: (1) that the computer display was effective in producing better recognition; (2) that the higher the S/N ratio, the greater C & Li performance; (3) that the lower the S/N ratio, the greater the utilization of the computer information; (4) that the utilization of the computer evidence did not improve with training; and (5) that a relatively simple additive model described the method by which the listeners combined the two sources of evidence.