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Does Examining Information Introduced by Auditory Structural Features
Help Clarify Perplexing Research Findings?
Research has shown that auditory features elicit orienting responses in radio
listeners (Potter, Lang & Bolls, 1998) in a manner similar to visual structure in television
(Lang, 1990; Lang, Geiger, Strickwerda & Sumner, 1993). This similarity has resulted in
several studies operationalizing auditory production pacing as the number of structural
features occurring over a set time period (Potter, 2000; Potter & Callison, 2000; Lang,
Schwartz, Lee & Angelini, under review). For example, Potter (2000) categorized 2-
minute radio messages according to the number of voice changes—either they contained
none, a “Medium” number of 10-15, or a “High” number of 20 or more. Such a
categorical distinction assumed that because the voice change caused orienting, and was
accompanied by automatic allocation of cognitive resources to processing (Dawson,
Filion & Schell, 1989), increases in the number of voice changes would also increase the
amount of resources required to process the message. Lang, Schwartz et al. (under
review) made a similar assumption when testing the impact of production pacing and
arousing content in radio public service announcements (PSAs) on listeners’ cognitive
effort and recognition memory. Using a variety of auditory features (in addition to voice
changes, sound effects, production effects, music onset, etc.) they operationally defined
three levels of production pacing for a group of 60-second anti-drug PSAs: Slow (0-3
features), Medium (8-14 features) and Fast (21-38). These were then completely crossed
with two levels of content arousal: Calm and Arousing. Predictions were made about
how groups of participants from two different age groups would respond to the radio
messages. The authors summarize their findings in the following way: