Impact of Auditory and Audiovisual Distractors on Task Performance in a VR-based Auditory Attention Task

Auditory attention is a fundamental cognitive process essential for effective communication and interaction. Auditory stimuli are often accompanied by distractors that can significantly impact task performance by means of reducing attention. This study investigates the influence of auditory and audiovisual distractors on an auditory attention task within a Virtual Reality classroom. As part of the user evaluation, participants had to listen to two short stories. They performed two tasks: (i) 'DISTRACTORS', where participants had to identify an auditory or an audiovisual stimulus and (ii) 'KEYWORDS,' where participants had to identify a specific keyword in the story by pressing a button on the controller. During the experiment, the participants' physiological (e.g. skin conductance levels, gaze data, etc.) and subjective data (i.e. questionnaires) were collected. The results revealed that the interval between the presentation of the keyword and the presentation of the distractors impacted task performance by negatively affecting auditory attention. Also, it was observed that the time spent looking at the speaker telling the story positively correlated with task performance, whereas the time spent looking at distractors was found to be negatively correlated with task performance. Finally, this study gives insights into how physiological metrics can be used to infer auditory attention in VR experiences.