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A prospective study of some effects of aircraft noise on cognitive performance in schoolchildren
Staffan Hygge1, Gary W Evans, Monika Bullinger
1Centre for Built Environment, University of Gävle, Sweden. staffan.hygge@hig.se
Insights
Children exposed to aircraft noise near Munich's new airport experienced impaired memory and reading. Conversely, children near the old airport showed improvements in memory and reading after noise reduction, highlighting noise's cognitive impact.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Cognitive Psychology
- Acoustics
Background:
- Aircraft noise is a significant environmental stressor.
- Understanding the cognitive effects of noise exposure on children is crucial.
- The relocation of Munich International Airport provided a unique opportunity to study noise impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal effects of aircraft noise on children's cognitive functions.
- To compare cognitive performance in children exposed to new versus reduced aircraft noise.
- To explore the relationship between speech perception, reading, and memory under different noise conditions.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design with three data collection waves (pre- and post-airport switch).
- Recruitment of 326 children (mean age 10.4 years) into aircraft noise and control groups.
- Assessment of long-term memory, short-term memory, reading ability, and speech perception.
Main Results:
- Children exposed to noise at the new airport showed impaired long-term memory and reading.
- Children previously exposed to noise at the old airport demonstrated improved long-term memory, reading, and short-term memory after noise reduction.
- Speech perception was impaired in children newly exposed to noise at the new airport.
Conclusions:
- Aircraft noise negatively impacts children's cognitive functions, including memory and reading.
- Reducing aircraft noise exposure can lead to cognitive improvements in children.
- Reading impairment may be partially mediated by memory deficits, not solely speech perception issues.
Abstract:
Before the opening of the new Munich International Airport and the termination of the old airport, children near both sites were recruited into aircraft-noise groups (aircraft noise at present or pending) and control groups with no aircraft noise (closely matched for socioeconomic status). A total of 326 children (mean age = 10.4 years) took part in three data-collection waves, one before and two after the switch-over of the airports. After the switch, long-term memory and reading were impaired in the noise group at the new airport. and improved in the formerly noise-exposed group at the old airport. Short-term memory also improved in the latter group after the old airport was closed. At the new airport, speech perception was impaired in the newly noise-exposed group. Mediational analyses suggest that poorer reading was not mediated by speech perception, and that impaired recall was in part mediated by reading.
