The thesis aims at developing conceptual and methodological tools in order to adapt sound in a “designerly” way within the discipline textile design. Occupational groups working with sound are to a large extent problem driven. This implies knowledge regarding sound and sound design mostly focuses on defensive strategies, not creative possibilities. The ambition with this research project is to make suggestions how textile designers can work practically with textile sound design, in a more nuanced way. /br As a starting point the thesis describes commonly used methods and processes used in the design process within an industrial context, followed by a more thorough analyze of the textile design process. These studies constitute a foundation to make it possible to see in what way these methods and processes will be affected when sound is added as new design tool./br By studies of two sound design models, the first attempts to develop a vocabulary concerning how to describe sound affecting qualities or sound expression of a textile are presented. Research focusing on language issues, especially on the development of conceptual tools done at the research institute Cresson, provides descriptive concepts, “sound effects”, embracing the interaction between human and his sound environment. These concepts are followed by a model of how to describe a “sound object” in “itself” (not in relation to anything else), developed by Pierre Schaeffer./br The theoretical models have been applied on the outcome of an phenomenological study named Describe. A number of design examples are finally presented as methodological examples of different ways to work with textiles and sound./br Keywords: sound, design, textile design, sound effect, sound object. / Thesis to be defended in public at 24 May 2011 at 13.00, at the Gallary floor 2, The Swedish School of Textiles, Bryggaregatan 17, Borås, for the degree of Philosophy.

The irrelevant sound effect (ISE) describes the disruption of processes involved in maintaining information in working memory (WM) when irrelevant noise is present in the environment. While some posit that the ISE arises due to split obligation of attention to the irrelevant sound and the to-be-remembered information, others have argued that background noise corrupts the order of information within WM. Support for the latter position comes from research showing that the ISE appears to be most robust in tasks that emphasize ordered maintenance by a serial rehearsal strategy, and diminished when rehearsal is discouraged or precluded by task characteristics. Evidence supporting such a stance has been used to create a narrow narrative in which the ISE should only emerge on tasks with ordered output demands, when a serial rehearsal strategy is used, and in the presence of changing-state auditory distractor sequences. However, an ISE has been documented in many situations that do not match the scenario described above, thus raising questions as to what specific factors and combination of factors give rise to the ISE. The present study aims to disentangle each of the proposed contributing variables to the ISE by using eight working memory tasks that vary based on demands and features in the presence of multiple sound conditions. Further, strategy use is assessed on a task-by-task basis using an informed, multi-step process. The results reveal patterns of the ISE that do not match the claims made by rehearsal-disruption nor attentional accounts, and instead support a narrative in which poor cognitive control likely leads to the adoption of ineffective strategies for memory maintenance, and the combination of such factors increases one’s susceptibility to disruption by irrelevant sounds. / Psychology

This study explored the possible impact to a game’s responsiveness and to players’ preferences by using a physically inspired model (real-time pitch and amplitude modulation) as a means of efficiently achieving responsive variation for melee weapon sound effects in a game using the in-engine audio features. A play test was created were 24 participants (12 with audio engineering backgrounds, 12 without), all with prior gaming experience, played through a game level where they would audition a non-variational implementation of a sword’s sound effects and a variational implementation with the same sound samples being modulated in real-time. The participants did not know what they were auditioning, and in a form filled out after the play test they assessed the differences in the level parts’ responsiveness and their preference. From this form no significant benefit or drawback was found to the game’s responsiveness, and no significance was found to the participants’ preference toward either sound effect implementation. The study’s conclusions are that these physically inspired models could be used as a mean of implementation for melee weapon sound effects if the sounds used or the game setting would suit this approach, or if this would be the artistic wish of the game developers.