['The detection of target messages in a background of competing speech and the identification of the color/number combinations in those messages were examined in a continuous monitoring task.', 'Previous research has shown that if listeners know when and where to listen, speech-on-speech intelligibility is improved when signals are presented via a 3-D audio display as compared with a diotic display. However, the effect of display type on detection of infrequent target messages in a continuous monitoring task has not been examined.', 'Participants were required to monitor five communications channels conveying messages at random intervals under each of three audio display conditions: diotic, all channels in front, and channels separated in azimuth (3-D).', 'Message detection sensitivity was significantly higher for the 3-D condition than for the in-front condition but did not differ significantly between the in-front and the diotic conditions. There were no differences in response criteria across conditions. Color/number identification sensitivity also was significantly higher for the 3-D condition than for the in-front condition but did not differ significantly between the in-front and the diotic conditions.'] Does spatial audio display improve the detection of target messages in a continuous monitoring task?