Institut für Nachrichtentechnik
Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Raake
EArAge-VR is part of the DFG Priority Program AUDICTIVE (SPP 2236), which brings together research in the fields of acoustics, auditory cognition, and immersive media to better understand how people perceive and interpret complex audiovisual scenes.
In the EArAge-VR project, we are collaborating with our partners at RWTH Aachen University (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Janina Fels) and the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau (Prof. Dr. Maria Klatte, Prof. Dr. Thomas Lachmann) to investigate immersive virtual classroom environments for assessing auditory cognition. The goal is to gradually bring research closer to realistic everyday situations. Previous studies have mostly relied on purely auditory or visual tests, which do not adequately capture the complexity of real-world scenes. Therefore, we are developing combined audiovisual testing paradigms and evaluation tools (performance metrics, questionnaires on quality of experience) that can also be used in less technology-oriented laboratories.
In addition, we investigate the underlying cognitive processes in complex classroom environments and their age-dependent development. Building on the predecessor project EcoClass-VR, we analyze speech perception, listening comprehension, and scene analysis in children and adults. The virtual scenes are enhanced with dynamic acoustic elements, audiovisual integration, and opportunities for interaction.
Special attention is being paid to younger children, as the first phase of the project showed that second-graders react particularly strongly to classroom noise. Therefore, the sample is being expanded to include preschoolers, first-graders, and L2 learners. For children who cannot wear head-mounted displays, we are developing alternative immersive setups using surrounding screens.
By jointly analyzing data from EcoClass-VR and EArAge-VR, we can provide well-founded recommendations for future research–with the goal of establishing standardized testing paradigms that reliably capture age-related changes and scene complexity in auditory cognition.
