Communication between Crews: The Effects of Speech Intelligibility on Team Performance

Abstract

Speech is a critical method of communication among group members while they are trying to accomplish a task. The present research program is designed to determine the impact of speech communication on performing a variety of communication-intensive tasks. A model describing performance as a function of auditory workload has guided this research. This model states that transmission, linguistic, and individual factors each contribute to auditory workload and hence influence task performance. The current study focused on two transmission factors: speech intelligibility and communication structure. Previous work in this program has reported the performance of two- or three-person crews operating alone to accomplish various tasks. The present study examined the team performance of two crews operating interactively to accomplish more complex tasks. Speech intelligibility was varied from 100% to 25% and was measured using the Modified Rhymes Test. Twelve crews were tested at the Closed Combat Test Bed using M1A2 tank simulators. The results of this study are consistent with those predicted by the auditory workload model; decrements in task performance occur at higher levels of intelligibility for more complex tasks than for less complex tasks. In addition to the task performance measured in this study, verbal protocols taken from recorded transcripts were coded as evidence of the changes in communication structure when speech intelligibility is varied. The implications of these findings for communication using cellular telephones and radio communication are discussed.