Personal noise ranking of road traffic: Subjective estimation versus physiological parameters under laboratory conditions [An article from: International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health]

This digital document is a journal article from International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Objective: To evaluate the subjective estimation of noise-induced discomfort and its correlation to psychoacoustic and physiological parameters under laboratory conditions. To establish an effective description of sound qualities of road traffic noise, supplementing the current standards and calculation specifications. Methods: Pass-by vehicle noise samples were binaurally recorded with a dummy head measurement system, and synthetically composed to six vehicle ensembles considering different road beds, varying speed profiles and noise barriers. Fifty-one persons were selected and tested under laboratory conditions. Study participants were exposed to defined acoustic stimuli, alternating with neutral phases lacking acoustic content in a listening room. Concomitant recording of electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiratory rate was performed. Subjective estimation of noise-induced discomfort of assigned vehicle ensembles was rated on a personal ranking scale (PRS) by the study subjects. Subjective ratings were combined with objective psychoacoustic parameters by multiple regression analysis. Results: Heart rate was increased during all noise exposure phases compared to neutral phases; the increase of heart rate differed among vehicle ensembles and was statistically significant in two cases (p