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Noise effects on human performance: a meta-analytic synthesis.

James L Szalma¹, Peter A Hancock

¹Performance Research Laboratory, Departmentof Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA. james.szalma@ucf.edu

Psychological Bulletin

|June 29, 2011

Summary

Noise significantly impacts human performance, affecting cognitive and motor skills. Understanding these effects, especially from continuous versus intermittent noise, aids in developing better training and design strategies.

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Area of Science:

Environmental Psychology
Human Performance Studies
Cognitive Science

Background:

Noise is a pervasive stressor with acute and chronic effects on individuals performing critical duties.
Noise exerts specific influences on cognitive and motor responses, distinct from other chronic stressors.
Mitigating harmful noise effects and exploiting beneficial ones is crucial for human performance.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantitatively evaluate the specific influences of noise on human cognitive and motor performance.
To test predictions derived from arousal, masking, and cognitive-resource theories of noise effects.
To inform selection, training, and design strategies for optimal human performance in noisy environments.

Main Methods:

Conducted moderator analyses on 797 effect sizes from 242 studies.
Examined noise effects as a function of task type, performance measure, noise characteristics (type, schedule, intensity, duration), and exposure.
Compared findings against major theories of noise and performance, including arousal, masking, and cognitive-resource mechanisms.

Main Results:

Observed outcome effects varied significantly based on moderators like task type, noise type, and schedule.
Continuous versus intermittent noise, noise type, and task type emerged as key moderators of performance.
Evidence for traditional arousal and masking explanations was mixed.

Conclusions:

The maximal adaptability theory, a mental-resource-based explanation, best accounts for the observed patterns of noise effects on performance.
Findings provide a basis for developing strategies to mitigate negative and leverage positive impacts of noise on human performance.
Understanding noise as a moderator is essential for optimizing human capacities in diverse operational settings.