Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-v2bm5 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-26T22:34:12.717Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sensitivity to noise in a community sample: II. Measurement of psychophysiological indices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

S. A. Stansfeld ,
C. R. Clark ,
G. Turpin ,
L. M. Jenkins  and
A. Tarnopolsky
S. A. Stansfeld*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
C. R. Clark
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
G. Turpin
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
L. M. Jenkins
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
A. Tarnopolsky
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr S. A. Stansfeld, General Practice Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

A sample of 77 women of high and low noise sensitivity in 1977, living in areas of high and low exposure to aircraft noise, were interviewed in the community in 1980. High, intermediate and low noise sensitive women were compared, using measures of blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance, hearing threshold, uncomfortable loudness level and magnitude estimation of six tones. These physiological measures did not clearly distinguish different noise sensitivity groups, except that highly noise sensitive women had a consistently slower heart rate. Noise sensitivity was not related to auditory threshold. In the high aircraft noise area there were significantly more skin conductance responses than in the low aircraft noise area, irrespective of noise sensitivity. This may be the result of chronic exposure to high aircraft noise.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , May 1985 , pp. 255 - 263
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, C. M. B. (1971). The Measurement of Attitude to Noise and Noises. National Physical Laboratory Acoustics Report, Ac 52.Google Scholar
Atherley, G. R. C., Gibbons, S. L. & Powell, J. A. (1970). Moderate acoustic stimuli: the interrelation of subjective importance and certain physiological changes. Ergonomics 13, 536–545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bregman, H. L. & Pearson, R. G. (1972). Development of a Noise Annoyance Sensitivity Scale. National Aeronautics and Space Administration CR-1954 National Technical Information Service: Springfield, Virginia.Google Scholar
Cohen, H. H., Conrad, D. W., Obrien, J. F. & Pearson, R. G. (1973). Noise effects, arousal and human processing task difficulty and performance. Human Factors, 03 1973. North Carolina State University at Raleigh.Google Scholar
Gang, M. J. & Teft, L. (1975). Individual differences in heart rate responses to affective sound. Psychophysiology 12 (4), 423–426.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Griffiths, I. D. & Delauzun, F. R. (1977). Individual differences in sensitivity to traffic noise: an empirical study. Journal of Sound and Vibration 55 (1), 93–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ising, H., Dienel, D., Günther, T. & Market, B. (1980). Health effects of traffic noise. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 47, 179–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lader, M. H. & Wing, L. (1966). Physiological Measures, Sedative Drugs, and Morbid Anxiety. Oxford University Press: London.Google Scholar
Moreira, N. M. & Bryan, M. E. (1972). Noise annoyance susceptibility. Journal of Sound and Vibration 21 (4), 449–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rövekamp, A. J. M. (1983). Physiological effects of environmental noise on normal and more sound-sensitive human beings.In Proceedings of the IVth International Congress on Noise as a Public Health Problem, vol. 1 (ed. Rossi, G.), pp. 605–614. Centro Ricerche E Studi Amplifon: Milan.Google Scholar
Siddle, D. A. T. & Turpin, G. (1980). Measurement quantification and analysis of cardiac activity. In Techniques in Psychophysiology (ed. Martin, I. and Venables, P. H.), pp. 139–246. Wiley: London.Google Scholar
Stansfeld, S. A., Clark, C. R., Jenkins, L. M. & Tarnopolsky, A. (1985). Sensitivity to noise in a community sample: I. Measurement of psychiatric disorder and personality. Psychological Medicine 15, 243–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarnopolsky, A. & Morton-Williams, J. (1980). Aircraft Noise and Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders. Research Report. Social and Community Planning Research: London.Google Scholar
Tarnopolsky, A., Watkins, G. & Hand, D. J. (1980). Aircraft noise and mental health: I. Prevalence of individual symptoms. Psychological Medicine 10, 683–698.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomas, J. R. & Jones, D. M. (1982). Individual differences in noise annoyance and the uncomfortable loudness level. Journal of Sound and Vibration 82 (2), 289–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, S. J. (1983). Effects of noise on the cardiovascular system: appraisal of epidemiologic evidence. In Proceedings of the IVth international Congress,Noise as a Public Health Problem, vol. 1 (ed. Rossi, G.), pp. 711–714. Centro Ricerche E Studi Amplifon: Milan.Google Scholar
Turpin, G. (1983). Unconditioned reflexes and the autonomic nervous system. In Orienting and Habituation: Perspectives in Human Research (ed. Siddle, D.), pp. 1–70. Wiley: London.Google Scholar
Turpin, G. (1985). Ambulatory psychophysiological monitoring: techniques and applications. In Experimental and Clinical Neuropsychophysiology (ed. Papakostopoulos, D.Butler, S. and Martin, I.). Croom Helm: Beckenham (in the press).Google Scholar
Turpin, G. & Siddle, D. A. T. (1983). Effects of stimulus intensity on cardiovascular activity. Psychophysiology 20, 611–624.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turpin, G., Shine, P. & Lader, M. (1983). Ambulatory electrodermal monitoring: effects of ambient temperature, general activity, electrolyte media, and length of recording. Psychophysiology 20, 219–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tschiassny, K. (1949). Stapedioparalytic phonophobia (‘Hyperacusis’) in a deaf ear. Laryngoscope 59, 886–893.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walter, G. F. & Porges, S. W. (1976). Heart rate and respiratory responses as a function of task difficulty: the use of discriminant analysis in the selection of psychologically sensitive physiological responses. Psychophysiology 13, 563–571.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watkins, G., Tarnopolsky, A. & Jenkins, L. M. (1981). Aircraft noise and mental health: II. Use of medicines and health care services. Psychological M`edicine 11, 155–168.Google ScholarPubMed
Weinstein, N. D. (1978). Individual differences in reactions to noise: a longitudinal study in a college dormitory. Journal of Applied Psychology 63 (4), 458–466.Google Scholar
Weinstein, N. D. (1980). Individual differences in critical tendencies and noise annoyance. Journal of Sound and Vibration 68 (2), 241–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar