Effects of irrelevant speech and traffic noise on speech perception and cognitive performance in elementary school children

Abstract

The effects of background noise of moderate intensity on short-term storage and processing of verbal information were analyzed in 6 to 8 year old children. In line with adult studies on "irrelevant sound effect" (ISE), serial recall of visually presented digits was severely disrupted by background speech that the children did not understand. Train noises of equal Intensity however, had no effect. Similar results were demonstrated with tasks requiring storage and processing of heard information. Memory for nonwords, execution of oral instructions and categorizing speech sounds were significantly disrupted by irrelevant speech. The affected functions play a fundamental role in the acquisition of spoken and written language. Implications concerning current models of the ISE and the acoustic conditions in schools and kindergardens are discussed.

The irrelevant sound effect in short-term memory: Is there developmental change?

“…Thus, we can verify that irrelevant speech impaired memory performance and that the ISE is present in children when speech is used as irrelevant sound. This replicates prior findings (Elliott, 2002;Klatte et al, 2007). However, the present finding that the magnitude of the irrelevant speech effect did not differ between 7-year-old children and adults is in contrast with Elliott's (2002) findings.…”

“…This is particularly true in view of some discrepancies between the results concerning the ISE in children reported by Elliott, and by Klatte et al (2007). In Elliott's study, serial recall of visually presented digits in second-graders was dramatically impaired by irrelevant speech.…”

“…In view of the finding that background speech of low to moderate intensity impairs children's short-term memory, it is reasonable to assume that irrelevant speech also impairs other tasks in which short-term memory is involved, such as reading and spelling in reading beginners, listening comprehension, and learning the phonological structure of new words. In fact, effects of irrelevant speech on children's listening comprehension and phonological processing have recently been reported (Klatte et al, 2007). Furthermore, field studies have shown that chronic exposure to irrelevant sounds, i.e., indoor noise in classrooms, has enduring effects on children's language, prereading skills, and academic attainment (Klatte et al, 2009;Maxwell & Evans, 2000;Shield & Dockrell, 2008).…”

“…Hitherto, only few studies have addressed the ISE in children (Elliott, 2002;Elliott, Baghat, & Lynn, 2007;Klatte, Meis, Sukowski, & Schick, 2007). All of these found that the ISE is present in elementary school children.…”

Distraction in verbal short-term memory: Insights from developmental differences

“…It is important to note in closing that not only can the study of the developmental aspects of the kind of distraction effects studied here inform theories of the processes involved in shortterm remembering and attentional selectivity, they may also have implications for understanding the educational impact of noise in real-world settings such as classrooms (Klatte, Meis, Sukowski, & Schick, 2007;Shield & Dockrell, 2008). The present research suggests that even brief exposure to irrelevant sound can be detrimental to the cognitive performance of children and adults.…”