Perceptions Of Annoyance Research Articles

On the study of the psychological effects of blocked views on dwellers in high dense urban environments

This paper studies the effects of neighbourhood views of densely packed high-rise buildings on human perceptions of oppressiveness and noise annoyance. Earlier studies have found that views containing close-by tall buildings would not only negatively affect annoyance induced by road traffic noises but also develop an oppressive feeling. However, there is very limited understanding about the extent to which views blocked by buildings with tight spacing and separation distance affects the responses of oppressiveness and noise annoyance. Moreover, few studies have explored the potential of vertical greening and façade condition on attenuating those responses. This study aimed at formulating multivariate models to predict the probability of evoking perceived oppressiveness and noise annoyance when exposed to blocked views from indoors in a canyon-like setting conditioned by those spatial and façade attributes at road traffic noise levels between 55 and 65 dBA. Sixteen audio-visual composite scenarios were presented to 53 participants through immersive virtual reality for annoyance and oppressiveness ratings. The results showed that the probability of high noise annoyance responses could be significantly lowered with a larger separation distance, the presence of vertical greening, and maintenance on building façades. In addition, decreasing noise level, increasing separation distance, presence of building spacing, vertical greening and well-maintained building façades were likely to reduce oppressive feeling. Further, the model revealed that participants had higher sensitivity to vertical greening than to the openness of view when perceiving noise annoyance. The effect of separation distance was significantly stronger on perceived oppressiveness than on noise annoyance.

Modelling perceived oppressiveness and noise annoyance responses to window views of densely packed residential high-rise environments

This paper studies the effects of densely packed high-rise residential settings on human perceptions of oppressiveness and annoyance induced by road traffic noise. Earlier studies have discovered that negative oppressive feeling would be developed when people on the streets were surrounded by high-rises at proximity. However, little has been understood about whether the spacing between tall buildings and the distance separating them from the viewers living in opposite high-rises affect their perceptions of oppressiveness and noise annoyance. This study aimed at developing multivariate models to predict the probability of evoking the feeling of oppressiveness when dwellers come across views restricted and obstructed by closing-in high-rises, and the response of noise annoyance in relation to the visual attributes associated with the oppressing environment. 46 cases were used for statistical analyses after the recruits were successfully administered in 2 stages of laboratory experiments where they were exposed to 12 scenarios through projected composite images and to 18 scenarios experienced in immersive virtual reality. The results showed that separation distance and building spacing were inversely related to perceived oppressiveness and noise annoyance. Further, the models revealed that participants implicitly were willing to trade off 4 m of spacing for extending 15 m of separation distance, and 60 m of separation distance for reducing 5 dB(A) in sound pressure level.

Upper respiratory tract nociceptor stimulation and stress response following acute and repeated Cyfluthrin inhalation in normal and pregnant rats: Physiological rat-specific adaptions can easily be misunderstood as adversities

This paper reviews the results from past regulatory and mechanistic inhalation studies in rats with the type II pyrethroid Cyfluthrin. Apart from many chemical irritants, Cyfluthrin was shown to be a neuroexcitatory agent without any inherent tissue-destructive or irritant property. Thus, any Cyfluthrin-induced neuroexcitatory afferent sensory stimulus from peripheral nociceptors in the upper respiratory tract is likely to be perceived as a transient stimulus triggering annoyance and/or avoidance by both rats and humans. However, while thermolabile rats respond to such stresses reflexively, homeothermic humans appear to respond psychologically. With this focus in mind, past inhalation studies in rats and human volunteers were reevaluated and assessed to identify common denominators to such neuroexcitatory stimuli upon inhalation exposure. This analysis supports the conclusion that the adaptive physiological response occurring in rats secondary to such chemosensory stimuli requires inhalation exposures above the chemosensory threshold. Rats, a species known to undergo adaptively a hibernation-like physiological state upon environmental stresses, experienced reflexively-induced bradypnea, bradycardia, hypothermia, and changes in acid-base status during inhalation exposure. After cessation of the sensory stimulus, rapid recovery occurred. Physiological data of male and female rats from a 4-week repeated inhalation study (exposure 6-h/day, 5-times/week) were used to select concentration for a 10-day developmental inhalation toxicity study in pregnant rats. Maternal hypothermia and hypoventilation were identified as likely cause of fetal and placental growth retardations because of a maternal adaptation-driven reduced feto-placental transfer of oxygen. In summary, maternal reflex-hypothermia, reduced cardiac output and placental perfusion, and disruption of the gestation-related hyperventilation are believed to be the maternally mediated causes for developmental impairments. Thus, inhaled chemosensory substances may appear to be more toxic in rats than they will be in humans because the thermoregulatory response of rats to such stimuli can cause profound physiological adaptions that can easily be misunderstood as adversities in conventional inhalation studies in small rodents. The afferent threshold triggering such outcomes in rodents translate to perceptions of annoyance in humans. Consequently, hazard characterization and human risk assessment need to be focused on the chemosensory threshold rather than endpoints occurring downstream to rodent-specific homeostasis.

Effect of Tactile Location, Pulse Duration, and Interpulse Interval on Perceived Urgency

Tactile displays hold promise as an effective and efficient means of presenting a wide range of information to the driver. This study examined the subjective perceptions of urgency and annoyance for tactile signals of different pulse duration, interpulse interval (IPI), and pulse pattern from devices called tactors located on the wrist, on the waist belt, or in the seat pan. Results revealed significant utility (steep increases in urgency without similarly steep increases in annoyance) for signals presented in pulse durations from 10 to 150 ms with decreasing utility beyond this range (200 ms or greater). Perceived urgency showed a decreasing trend as the IPI increased. Strikingly similar magnitude estimation functions were obtained across the three tactor locations. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for tactile display design in vehicles.

Perceived urgency mapping across modalities within a driving context

Hazard mapping is essential to effective driver-vehicle interface (DVI) design. Determining which modality to use for situations of different criticality requires an understanding of the relative impact of signal parameters within each modality on perceptions of urgency and annoyance. Towards this goal we obtained psychometric functions for visual, auditory and tactile interpulse interval (IPI), visual color, signal word, and auditory fundamental frequency on perceptions of urgency, annoyance, and acceptability. Results indicate that manipulation of IPI in the tactile modality, relative to visual and auditory, has greater utility (greater impact on urgency than annoyance). Manipulations of color were generally rated as less annoying and more acceptable than auditory and tactile stimuli; but they were also rated as lower in urgency relative to other modality manipulations. Manipulation of auditory fundamental frequency resulted in high ratings of both urgency and annoyance. Results of the current investigation can be used to guide DVI design and evaluation.

Driving styles and their associations with personality and motivation

The associations between driving styles and the Big-Five personality factors and perceived costs and benefits of driving were examined in order to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of driving styles. Questionnaires tapping driving style, personality traits, motivations for driving, and background variables were completed by 320 drivers (150 men and 170 women). The results show that each driving style is associated with a unique set of sociodemographic, personality, and motivational factors. The reckless and angry styles were both endorsed more by men than women, by younger drivers, and by those displaying higher levels of Extroversion and thrill seeking, and lower levels of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. However, whereas the reckless style was also predicted by the perceived costs of driving-related distress, as well as higher perceived risk to life among those with higher education, the angry style was also predicted by perceptions of both control and annoyance among more educated drivers. The anxious style was endorsed more by women, and by drivers lower on Conscientiousness and higher on Neuroticism. Individuals reporting this style regard driving as a cause of distress and annoyance, and, depending on their level of education, perceive it as entailing more risk to life and as a potential damage to their self-image (higher education), or as providing more opportunities for impression management (lower education). The careful driving style was endorsed more by women, and associated with higher Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness, along with higher pleasure (especially among younger drivers), but lower thrill seeking and worries about damage to self-esteem. The discussion focuses on the importance of looking at driving styles and their predictors holistically in order to design practical interventions suited to different profiles of drivers.

An investigation of floor impact sources and perception models of impact sounds

The present work compared the physical and psychoacoustical characteristics of standard impact sources with those of human impacts, and proposed the perception models of annoyance for impact sounds with respect to temporal and spatial aspects. Impact ball (heavy/soft impact source) was selected as an appropriate standard floor impact source simulating real floor impacts based on the objective evaluation and similarity judgment. Then, measurements using impact ball were conducted in a variety of apartment buildings with different floor structure and coverings. Variations in frequency characteristics were found in the measurement results, thus these were classified into three groups, Groups A-C. Differences between Groups A-C were clarified using sound quality metrics. Finally, perception models of impact ball sounds were developed in relation to temporal aspects and spatial characteristics, respectively. When the spatial characteristics kept constant, perceptions of annoyance for impact ball sounds were affected mainly by the differences in fluctuation strength as well as loudness. Another perception model comprised of IACC (Interaural cross-correlation function) was also proposed through auditory experiments. It was found that IACC had an effect on the perception of impact ball sounds with sound pressure level, and the contribution of IACC on perception of impact ball sounds was around 20%

Proposed components of an “ideal” indoor noise criteria rating system.

A number of studies have been conducted at the University of Nebraska on correlating human performance and perception to indoor noise criteria systems. Task performance and subjective perception data were gathered from subjects exposed to background noise conditions commonly due to mechanical systems, including some with tonal components and some with time‐varying fluctuations. Results show that perceptions of annoyance and distraction are highly correlated to the character of the noise, but the current indoor noise criteria systems (such as noise criteria and room criteria) do not accurately reflect that relationship. This paper presents a proposal for what an indoor noise criteria rating system should ideally include, to quantify acceptable building mechanical system noise in commercial buildings. [Work supported by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air‐Conditioning Engineers.]

Web users' perceptions of and attitudes toward online advertising formats

This study investigated attitudes and the perceptual antecedents of attitudes toward six online advertising formats and tested the ability of perceptions to predict attitude toward the format (Aformat) and click through behaviour using a national survey of 1,075 adults. The data supported the four hypotheses of the study: web users possess significantly different attitudes across formats; users hold a varied combination of perceptions about each format; the three general perceptions of entertainment, annoyance and information have a significant impact on Aformat; and attitude is significantly related to user behaviour toward that format.

Baseball Bat Inertial and Vibrational Characteristics and Discomfort Following Ball–Bat Impacts

This study examined the relationship between selected mechanical characteristics of aluminum baseball bats and sensations on the hands resulting from impacts. Sixteen skilled male Little League baseball players held each of two bats while they were impacted at the following locations by baseballs at speeds of approximately 27 m/s: near barrel end, center of percussion (COP), distal node of the fundamental mode, and 4 in. toward the hands from the COP. Results of a questionnaire regarding annoyance and discomfort were correlated with selected bat characteristics and vibrational characteristics associated with each impact condition. Results indicated that perceptions of annoyance and discomfort were related to the level of excitation of the fundamental mode and first overtone mode and that annoyance and discomfort were less with impacts on the COP and fundamental vibrational node.

Passive Smoking on Commercial Airline Flights

In-flight exposure to nicotine, urinary cotinine levels, and symptom self-reports were assessed in a study of nine subjects (five passengers and four attendants) on four routine commercial flights each of approximately four hours' duration. Urine samples were collected for 72 hours following each flight. Exposures to nicotine measured during the flights using personal exposure monitors were found to be variable, with some nonsmoking areas attaining levels comparable to those in smoking sections. Attendants assigned to work in nonsmoking areas were not protected from smoke exposure. The type of aircraft ventilation was important in determining the levels of in-flight nicotine exposure. The environmental tobacco smoke levels that occurred produced measurable levels of cotinine (a major metabolite of nicotine) in the urine of passengers and attendants. Passengers who experienced the greatest smoke exposure had the highest levels of urinary cotinine. Changes in eye and nose symptoms between the beginning and end of the flights were significantly related both to nicotine exposure during the flight and to the subsequent urinary excretion of cotinine. In addition, subjects' perceptions of annoyance and smokiness in the airplane cabin were also related to in-flight nicotine exposure and urinary excretion measures.