Quantifying the Effect of Noise on Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Noise is present in most work environments, including emissions from machines and devices, irrelevant speech from colleagues, and traffic noise. Although it is generally accepted that noise below the permissible exposure limits does not pose a considerable risk for auditory effects like hearing impairments. Yet, noise can have a direct adverse effect on cognitive performance (non-auditory effects like workload or stress). Under certain circumstances, the observable performance for a task carried out in silence compared to noisy surroundings may not differ. One possible explanation for this phenomenon needs further investigation: individuals may invest additional cognitive resources to overcome the distraction from irrelevant auditory stimulation. Recent developments in measurements of psychophysiological correlates and analysis methods of load-related parameters can shed light on this complex interaction. These objective measurements complement subjective self-report of perceived effort by quantifying unnoticed noise-related cognitive workload. In this review, literature databases were searched for peer-reviewed journal articles that deal with an at least partially irrelevant “auditory stimulation” during an ongoing “cognitive task” that is accompanied by “psychophysiological correlates” to quantify the “momentary workload.” The spectrum of assessed types of “auditory stimulations” extended from speech stimuli (varying intelligibility), oddball sounds (repeating short tone sequences), and auditory stressors (white noise, task-irrelevant real-life sounds). The type of “auditory stimulation” was related (speech stimuli) or unrelated (oddball, auditory stressor) to the type of primary “cognitive task.” The types of “cognitive tasks” include speech-related tasks, fundamental psychological assessment tasks, and real-world/simulated tasks. The “psychophysiological correlates” include pupillometry and eye-tracking, recordings of brain activity (hemodynamic, potentials), cardiovascular markers, skin conductance, endocrinological markers, and behavioral markers. The prevention of negative effects on health by unexpected stressful soundscapes during mental work starts with the continuous estimation of cognitive workload triggered by auditory noise. This review gives a comprehensive overview of methods that were tested for their sensitivity as markers of workload in various auditory settings during cognitive processing.

Dogs Barking and Babies Crying: The Effect of Environmental Noise on Physiological State and Cognitive Performance

“…Therefore, exposure to more complex sounds such as a baby crying or a dog barking might have led to a higher stress response with time, and consequently to higher heart rates. [ 13 ]…”

“…[ 11 12 ] For a recent literature review on the topic of the impact of noise of physiology and cognition, please refer to the article by Grenzebach and Romanus. [ 13 ]…”

Traffic Noise at Moderate Levels Affects Cognitive Performance: Do Distance-Induced Temporal Changes Matter?

“…In order to investigate the subjective task load under different sound conditions, a NASA-TLX task load test was performed. This test was first published by Hart and Staveland in 1988 [42] and has since then become a standard self-reported questionnaire to evaluate perceived workload [43] which has also been used in the context of acoustic research [44][45][46]. After completing a task, the NASA-TLX test asks a subject to rate the perceived Mental Demand, Physical Demand, Temporal Demand, Performance, Effort and Frustration each on a scale ranging from 0 to 100 in 5-point steps.…”

Investigating the Relationship between Noise Exposure and Human Cognitive Performance: Attention, Stress, and Mental Workload Based on EEG Signals Using Power Spectrum Density

“…A noise is an unpleasant or potentially harmful sound [3]. There is some noise in most workplaces; this includes noise from nearby roads, the inane talk of co-workers, and emissions from machinery and other devices [4]. Noise exposure can cause two kinds of health effects: auditory effects and nonauditory effects.…”

“…Noise can directly adversely affect cognitive performance (through nonauditory effects such as workload or stress) in the workplace [4,15]. Noise has different negative effects, ranging from the impairment of cognitive processes to damage to mental and physical health [16].…”