Abstract
Exposure to noise-or unwanted sound-is considered a major public health issue in the United States and internationally. Previous work has shown that even acute noise exposure can influence physiological response in humans and that individuals differ markedly in their susceptibility to noise. Recent research also suggests that specific acoustic properties of noise may have distinct effects on human physiological response. Much of the existing research on physiological response to noise consists of laboratory studies using very simple acoustic stimuli-like white noise or tone bursts-or field studies of longer-term workplace noise exposure that may neglect acoustic properties of the noise entirely. By using laboratory exposure to realistic heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) noise, the current study explores the interaction between acoustic properties of annoying noise and individual response to working in occupational noise. This study assessed autonomic response to two acoustically distinct noises while participants performed cognitively demanding work. Results showed that the two HVAC noises affected physiological arousal in different ways. Individual differences in physiological response to noise as a function of noise sensitivity were also observed. Further research is necessary to link specific acoustic characteristics with differential physiological responses in humans.
Highlights
Noise, or unwanted sound, is a significant source of annoyance and distress (Basner et al, 2015) and is increasingly considered a major public health issue in the United States (Hammer et al, 2014) and internationally (Theakston, 2011)
By using laboratory exposure to realistic heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) noise, the current study explores the interaction between acoustic properties of annoying noise and individual response to working in occupational noise
We examine affective physiological responses in individuals working in silence and in two acoustically distinct background noises to develop hypotheses to guide future work exploring the interaction between acoustic properties a)Portions of this work were presented in “Psychophysiological responses during cognitively demanding work in subjectively annoying background noise,” 175th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Minneapolis, MN, 2018
Summary
Unwanted sound, is a significant source of annoyance and distress (Basner et al, 2015) and is increasingly considered a major public health issue in the United States (Hammer et al, 2014) and internationally (Theakston, 2011). Background noise may be troublesome for individuals who use hearing assistive technologies and/or who have heightened noise sensitivity or hyperacusis (Jahncke and Halin, 2012; Shepherd et al, 2010). In this preliminary study, we examine affective physiological responses in individuals working in silence and in two acoustically distinct background noises to develop hypotheses to guide future work exploring the interaction between acoustic properties a)Portions of this work were presented in “Psychophysiological responses during cognitively demanding work in subjectively annoying background noise,” 175th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Minneapolis, MN, 2018. While original sound levels from the Sung (2018) study are reported in dB(A), we measured the sound level
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