Loud speech, conglomerate noise, and behavioral aftereffects.

On the basis of a recent model of information overload, it was predicted that loud speech, conglomerate noise, and tasks requiring attention would produce behavioral aftereffects in the form of lowered frustration tolerance and reduced cognitive complexity. This prediction was confirmed by the results of a laboratory experiment in which 80 undergraduate females were exposed to varying levels of background noise (43 vs 80 db), the presence or absence of loud (80 db) speech, and tasks requiring recall. Results indicate that loud speech, conglomerate noise, and taxing reduce an individual's ability to tolerate frustration and to differentiate among people occupying different roles. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)