Faculty

Neuroscience

Supervisor Name

Dr. Derek Mitchell

Keywords

Audition, Emotion, Localization

Description

This study investigates whether the emotional content of auditory stimuli influences spatial localization abilities, addressing the gap in understanding of how emotional sounds impact spatial processing. While visual emotional stimuli are known to modulate sensory processing through brain regions like the amygdala and locus coeruleus, the effects of emotional auditory stimuli remain less understood. Prior findings suggest emotional sounds may alert listeners to specific stimuli while distracting from others, yet the impact on spatial localization—critical for navigation in emotionally charged settings—has not been thoroughly examined.

Our primary objective is to determine if emotionally negative sounds improve localization accuracy and reaction times compared to neutral sounds. We hypothesize that emotional sounds will activate emotion- and attention-related neural circuits, enhancing spatial representation relative to neutral sounds. This cognitive neuroscience study employs a mixed within-subjects and between-subjects design using an audiodome—a sound attenuation environment with a specialized auditory presentation system.

Participants will complete the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to explore correlations between trait anxiety and localization performance. During the task, participants will point to the perceived origin of negative and neutral sounds from various locations within the audiodome. Localization accuracy, measured by deviation in degrees, and reaction time will be recorded. This research will provide insight into how emotional arousal influences auditory spatial skills and may inform strategies to reduce human error in high-stakes, emotionally-charged environments such as aviation and emergency response.

Acknowledgements

I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Derek Mitchell and the members of the Emotional Cognition Lab for their guidance and support throughout this project. I also thank the Western Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (USRI) program, the faculty of Schulich Medicine and Neuroscience, and the staff at the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB) for their support and resources, which made this research possible.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Document Type

Poster

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Processing Salient Sounds in a Virtual Reality Soundscape

This study investigates whether the emotional content of auditory stimuli influences spatial localization abilities, addressing the gap in understanding of how emotional sounds impact spatial processing. While visual emotional stimuli are known to modulate sensory processing through brain regions like the amygdala and locus coeruleus, the effects of emotional auditory stimuli remain less understood. Prior findings suggest emotional sounds may alert listeners to specific stimuli while distracting from others, yet the impact on spatial localization—critical for navigation in emotionally charged settings—has not been thoroughly examined.

Our primary objective is to determine if emotionally negative sounds improve localization accuracy and reaction times compared to neutral sounds. We hypothesize that emotional sounds will activate emotion- and attention-related neural circuits, enhancing spatial representation relative to neutral sounds. This cognitive neuroscience study employs a mixed within-subjects and between-subjects design using an audiodome—a sound attenuation environment with a specialized auditory presentation system.

Participants will complete the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to explore correlations between trait anxiety and localization performance. During the task, participants will point to the perceived origin of negative and neutral sounds from various locations within the audiodome. Localization accuracy, measured by deviation in degrees, and reaction time will be recorded. This research will provide insight into how emotional arousal influences auditory spatial skills and may inform strategies to reduce human error in high-stakes, emotionally-charged environments such as aviation and emergency response.

 

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