September 4th, 2024
The ability to selectively focus on different audio sources during the performance of one’s primary duties is critical in many fields. From emergency services (Von Wyl et al., 2009) to law enforcement (Sloan & Paoline, 2021), from the military operations to commercial aviation (Sottilare & Schwarz, 2020), professionals are tasked with maintaining split focus with their auditory attention. This is a skill that is often developed over the course of performing these duties. Existing training formats neglect this specialized skill (Aydin et al., 2024; Innes at al., 2021; Sloan and Paoline 2021). It must be learned by novice entrants during performance of their duties.
In the case of a police officer, one need only imagine the familiar sight of a uniformed peace officer with a radio clipped to their left shoulder, quietly squawking away. This officer may be speaking with the public, sharing a meal with coworkers, or otherwise engaged while still monitoring the radio. A soldier may be moving in a hostile environment, nerves on edge to keep their situational awareness sharp, while their headphones relay radio traffic from their command network. This secondary skill is a critical part of these roles.
The roles listed above come with a level of risk that many others do not. Oftentimes, lives and livelihoods are at risk while the individual under consideration must split their attention between tasks. Novices in these fields may find they miss critical updates from their radios (Katz, 2008). Alternatively, they may find the radio is a powerful distraction and suffer from reduced situational awareness - sometimes leading to an increase in accidents (Scott-Parker et al., 2018).
Research has shown that intentional training can improve this split listening ability (Bonnet et al., 2022; Laffere et al., 2020). With updated training that has been adapted to specifically include split audio attention, the learning curve for these types of roles can be reduced by some degree. Novices will bring less risk to their activities.
Demonstrating the effectiveness of incorporating split audio attention complications into training scenarios will help improve training across a range of domains. The subsequent impact will improve novice performance and reduce the risks associated with distractions. With luck, split audio attention will be seen as an enhancement that is easily added to training scenarios. As EMT trainers or military tactical leaders devise training, they will give some attention to this aspect of the scenarios. With new interventions being devised and tested, the effectiveness of split audio attention training will improve. Such interventions and testing may further illuminate the underlying mechanisms and allow for a general approach to improvement.