Environmental and personal monitoring of exposure to urban noise and community response

Noise exposure of a population sample living in a city in northern Italy (Genoa) was assessed by measuring the noise in the area as well as with personal sound detectors. Sampling was conducted during a standard day and covered a period of time spent out-of-doors, at work (service sector) and at home. Ambient noise at home and at work was assessed with sound-level meters, personal exposure levels were assessed with personal sound-level/dosimeters. Information regarding each environment was obtained with an interview including also a subjective judgement on traffic intensity and noise levels. The mean individual equivalent continuous sound level (Leq) of recorded noise was 74.5 dB(A) for 24 h and 63.9 dB(A) at night. A further distinction was made between noise exposure at home (Leq 74.4), work (Leq 74.0) and during city transfers (Leq 79.3). Leq values for individual hours, Leq daytime (Leq, d), Leq nighttime (Leq,n) and Leq day-night (Ldn) indices calculated in the different environments, i.e. at work, home and out-of-doors, are reported here. Individual noise levels have then been compared with environmental data and with subjective noise exposure judgement.     

Monitoring, activation, and disinhibition: Effects of white noise masking on spoken thought.

2experiments with 20 male and 20 female adults each and 2 replications tested the hypothesis that preventing a person from hearing himself as he speaks results in disinhibition of communication thought. White noise masking (WNM) was used to prevent S from hearing himself as he spoke. TAT stories and Holtzman Inkblot Test (HIT) responses were the main dependent variables. Under WNM, TAT stories showed more impulse-dominated themes and fewer defensively modulated stories than under normal conditions (N). The effect was exaggerated when WNM followed N. Female Ss produced more color responses on HIT under WNM than under N, an effect that was augmented when WNM followed N. Under WNM, physical properties of voices changed lawfully: pitch and intensity rose and phonation time increased, but the increase was greater for spontaneous speech than for read speech. WNM resulted in a disinhibition of drive-related fantasies that had already been primed. Interfering with the monitoring of one's vocal activity by itself does not necessarily result in impairment of thought organization or of reality attunement. The results have bearing upon a theory of monitoring, activation of impulse-relevant content, and disinhibition of spoken language. (28 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Background noise.

Comments that anyone familiar with the EEG literature can scarcely agree with J. T. Cacioppo and L. G. Tassinary's (see record 1990-14077-001) statement that the spontaneous EEG was long thought to represent background noise. Contrary to reliable evidence, this statement implies that the EEG contains no information relevant to brain functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reducing percussive noise

Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys. Translated from Metallurg, No. 3, pp. 23–24, March, 1994.     

Aircraft noise and children: Longitudinal and cross-sectional evidence on adaptation to noise and the effectiveness of noise abatement.

Assessed the impact of noise on attentional strategies, learned helplessness, performance on cognitive tasks, and blood pressure. Third and 4th graders were tested on the same measures twice, with a 1-yr interval between sessions. Longitudinal data were used to determine whether Ss adapted to aircraft noise over the 1-yr period and to assess the effectiveness of noise abatement interventions introduced in a number of noise-impacted classrooms. Additional cross-sectional data are presented to provide further information on the utility of noise abatement. In general, there was little evidence for adaptation to noise over the 1-yr period. Noise abatement had small ameliorative effects on cognitive performance, Ss' ability to hear their teachers, and school achievement. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Problems of noise in hospitals

Measurements of the bleeding time after the ingestion of small doses of aspirin in patients with aspirin idiosyncrasy demonstrate a marked prolongation compared with control patients. Confirmation of this finding offers a clue to the pathogenesis of this condition. Despite the prolonged bleeding time, gastrointestinal haemorrhage is an uncommon event in patients with aspirin idiosyncrasy.     

Port noise complaints: Verbal and behavioral reactions to airport-related noise.

Compared the verbal and behavioral reactions of a total of 716 residents living in high-, medium-, and low-noise zones surrounding a major airport, as well as in communities out of the airport's noise range. Results show that the effects of noise were highly complex. While the proportion of those reported to be bothered by noise was correlated with objectively measured noise levels, the intensity and perceived source of the noise were unrelated to reported psychological and physical symptoms, length of residence in the area, or trace measures indicating recreational use of outdoor areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication and noise. Speech intelligibility of airplane pilots with and without active noise compensation

Noise exposure measurements were performed with pilots of the German Federal Navy during flight situations. The ambient noise levels during regular flight were maintained at levels above a 90 dB A-weighted level. This noise intensity requires wearing ear protection to avoid sound-induced hearing loss. To be able to understand radio communication (ATC) in spite of a noisy environment, headphone volume must be raised above the noise of the engines. The use of ear plugs in addition to the headsets and flight helmets is only of limited value because personal ear protection affects the intelligibility of ATC. Whereas speech intelligibility of pilots with normal hearing is affected to only a smaller degree, pilots with pre-existing high-frequency hearing losses show substantial impairments of speech intelligibility that vary in proportion to the hearing deficit present. Communication abilities can be reduced drastically, which in turn can affect air traffic security. The development of active noise compensation devices (ANC) that make use of the "anti-noise" principle may be a solution to this dilemma. To evaluate the effectiveness of an ANC-system and its influence on speech intelligibility, speech audiometry was performed with a German standardized test during simulated flight conditions with helicopter pilots. Results demonstrate the helpful effect on speech understanding especially for pilots with noise-induced hearing losses. This may help to avoid pre-retirement professional disability.     

"Pessimistic noise effects": The perception of reaction times in noise.

Used a between-group design to examine the effect of loud noise on a 2-choice discrete reaction task and the judgments Ss made about self-produced RTs under these conditions. In Exp I, 70 Ss (aged 26–39 yrs) completed a 2-choice RT task and a concurrent RT rating task of speed. White noise was presented to Ss in the experimental groups. RTs were unexpectedly faster in noise, but Ss used more "slow" categories in describing them. The effect was not apparent when the same RTs were rerated a 2nd time under instructions that indicated that they were random time intervals. Also, the effect was not apparent when a new group of 14 undergraduates in Exp II rated the original RT data, again in noise. Exp III showed that when asked to predict average RTs produced by a hypothetical S in noise, 30 uniformed Ss (aged 26–39 yrs) predicted slow RTs. Results are considered in the light of the hypothesis that pessimistic expectancies about likely effects of noise may be a factor influencing performance. (French abstract) (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)