Identifying Structural Features of Audio: Orienting Responses During Radio Messages and Their Impact on Recognition

This study tested the ability of nine different auditory structural features to elicit orienting responses from radio listeners. It further tested the effect of the orienting response on listeners' memory for information presented immediately following the orienting-eliciting structural feature. Results show that listeners do have significant decelerating cardiac patterns suggestive of orienting for eight of the nine features. Taken as a categorical whole, these features also increase recognition memory for the information presented after their onset compared to information presented immediately before.