Reactions to sonic booms: a report of two studies and a general evaluation of startle effects

Two separate studies are reported. The first attempted to determine a sonic boom level below which startle would not occurr. Subjects were exposed indoors to six simulated sonic booms having outside overpressures of 50, 30, and 16 N/m-2 (inside levels of 74, 71, and 65 dBA). Approximately 20% of the subjects gave small arm-hand responses to the two higher exposure levels, while none responded to the lowest level. In the second study, subjects were exposed indoors to a series of 12 simulated booms in order to assess habituation effects. Outside overpressures were 130 and 50 N/m-2 (indoor levels of 81 and 72 dBA). Significant, but not complete, habituation occurred to booms of both levels. Autonomic and eyeblink responses, as well as ratings of annoyance, were obtained in both studies. The final section summarizes the expected behavioral, autonomic, and subjective effects of exposure to various levels of sonic booms.